New Ethics Opinion Addresses Federal Judges’ Public Engagement
By Pamela S. Menaker
Bench and Bar,
April 2026
The U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct has released a new advisory opinion that explicitly provides that federal judges are now permitted to publicly defend their judicial independence and the rule of law, so long as they avoid partisan politics and preserve impartiality. For advocates of judicial independence, the opinion should come as a welcome affirmation of the judiciary’s important role in our judicial system.
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