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    Comments

    Note: Resources associated with a meeting or hearing are located in the Meetings & Hearings section. Drafts available for public comment may be accessed in the Commission Drafts section.

    Comments refer to documents submitted for review by the Commission. There are currently two categories of comments, including those based on the original 1990 Code and those based on the preliminary drafts of the new code. Additional categories of comments will be added during subsequent stages of rule development.



    Comments on 1990 Code    |    Comments on Preliminary Draft of Code    |    Comments on Final Draft of Code


    Comments on Preliminary Draft of Code




    ABA Children and the Law
    Lauren Onkeles

             Comment   (August 31, 2004)
          Canons 2, 3, 4 and 5

         Summary



    ABA Criminal Justice Section Ad Hoc Committee
    Margaret C. Love Chair

         Comment   (October 12, 2005)
          Canons 2, 4 and 5

         Summary



    ABA Judicial Division National Conference of the Administrative Judiciary (NCALJ)

         Comment   (November 3, 2005)
          Application



    ABA Judicial Division National Conference of Specialized Court Judges (NCSCJ)
    Lt Col Rodger A. Drew, USAF Staff Judge Advocate

         Comment   (November 3, 2005)
          Appearance of Impropriety, Rule 2.12 and 4.15 and Canon 3

         Summary



    ABA Judicial Division National Conference of State Trial Judges
    Judge Annette J. Scieszinski Chair Ethics and Professionalism Committee

         Comment   (August 9, 2005)
          Rule 2.04

         Summary



    ABA Section of Business Law

         Comment   (September 9, 2005)
          Canons 1-5, Terminology Section and General Comments

         Summary



    ABA Section of Dispute Resolution
    Ellen Miller Director

         Comment   (February 4, 2005)
          Canon 3

         Summary



    ABA Senior Lawyers Division
    Judge J. Thomas Greene, Utah Judge James A. Noe, Washington Senior Lawyers Division Judiciary Committee Co-Chairs

         Comment   (July 14, 2004)
          Canons 1 and 2

         Summary

         Summary - Terminology

    The Judicial Council of California’s Task Force on Self-Represented Litigants urges the Commission to consider changes to Canons 1 and 2, as well as other canons, to assure judges that they act ethically when they ensure that self-represented, or pro se, litigants are able to present their cases. The Judicial Council summarizes recommendations of its Statewide Action Plan for Serving Self-Represented Litigants, adopted in February 2004 and describes numerous projects underway to implement the Action Plan, several of which involve development of best practices for judges hearing cases involving self-represented litigants.

    Debriefing (Rule 2.07)

    Knowledge (Rule 2.17)

    Impairs (Rule 2.19)

         Comment   (September 29, 2004)
          Canons 3 and 4

         Summary



    ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services and the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants
    Hon. Lora J. Livingston Chair, ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services

    William Whitehurst Chair, ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants

         Comment   (September 8, 2005)
          Pro Se Litigation

         Summary



    ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility
    Charles E. McCallum Chair

         Comment   (April 12, 2005)
          Canons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5



    ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility
    William B. Dunn Chair

         Cover Letter   (September 15, 2005)

         Comment   (September 15, 2005)
          All Canons, Preamble, Scope and Terminology

         Summary



    ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants
    Norman Lefstein, Chair Indigent Advisory Group

         Comment   (October 15, 2004)
          Rule 2.18

         Summary



    ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service
    Marilyn J. Smith Assistant Committee Counsel

         Comment   (December 28, 2004)
          Rule 4.04


    ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism
    John T. Berry Chair

         Comment   (January 12, 2005)
          General Canon 1 and Rules 4.13 - 4.16

         Comment   (August 29, 2005)
          Canons 1, 2 and 3

         Summary



    ABA Standing Committee on Professional Discipline
    Honorable Barbara Kerr Howe Chair

         Comment   (October 27, 2004)
          Canons 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Overview

                 Canon 1 (Clean Copy)              Canon 1 (Redline Copy)

                 Canon 2 (Clean Copy)              Canon 2 (Redline Copy)

                 Canon 3 (Clean Copy)              Canon 3 (Redline Copy)

                 Canon 4 (Clean Copy)              Canon 4 (Redline Copy)

                 Canon 4 Rules 4.13-4.16 (Clean Copy)              Canon 4 Rules 4.13-4.16 (Redline Copy)

                 Canon 5 (Clean Copy)              Canon 5 (Redline Copy)

         Comment   (March 15, 2005)
          Canon 5 and Overview

                 Canon 5 (Clean Copy)              Canon 5 (Redline Copy)

                 Overview



    American Center for Law and Justice
    William M. Weber Senior Litigation Counsel

         Comment   (October 4, 2004)
          Canon 2 and Rule 3.03

         Summary



    American Judicature Society
    Cynthia Gray, Director Center for Judicial Ethics

         Comment   (July 2004)
          May 2004 Partial Draft of Revisions

         Comment   (October 2004)
          July 2004 Partial Draft of Revisions

         Summary

         Comment   (November 2004)
          Canon 4 Gift Provisions and Terminology

         Comment   (March 15, 2005)
          Canon 5

         Summary

         Comment   (July 19, 2005)
          Cumulative Comments

         Comment   (July 28, 2005)
          Canon 5

         Comment   (July 28, 2005)
          Attachment 1

         Comment   (July 28, 2005)
          Attachment 2

         Comment   (September 19, 2005)
          General Comments

         Comment   (September 19, 2005)
          Canon 1

         Comment   (September 19, 2005)
          Canon 2

         Comment   (September 19, 2005)
          Canon 3

         Comment   (September 19, 2005)
          Canon 4

         Comment   (September 19, 2005)
          Canon 5



    Association of the Bar of the City of New York
    Ronald C. Minkoff, Chair Joint Subcommittee

         Comment   (August 3, 2004)
          Canons 1 and 2

             Summary

         Comment   (January 28, 2005)
          Canon 2: Rules 2.12 and 2.19       Canon 3: Rules 3.01 and 3.03       Canon 4: Rules 4.01, 4.02, 4.04, 4.13 and 4.16



    Association of Judicial Disciplinary Counsel
    Victoria B. Henley President

         Comment   (September 9, 2005)
          General Comments

         Summary



    Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers ("APRL")
    Ronald C. Minkoff, Chair APRL Committee on Model Code of Judicial Conduct

         Comment   (June 30, 2004)
          Canons 1 and 2

         Comment   (November 29, 2004)
          Rule 4.01(c)

         Summary



    Bench and Bar Committee of the State Bar of Wisconsin
    George C. Brown Executive Director State Bar of Wisconsin

         Cover Letter   (September 14, 2005)

         Comment   (September 14, 2005)
          Canon 5

         Summary



    Besser, Matt
    Law Clerk to the Honorable Richard L. Nygaard United States Court of Appeals

         Comment   (March 15, 2005)
          Canon 3E(1)

         Summary



    Border, Judge Patrick W.
    First Circuit State of Hawaii

         Comment   (September 1, 2005)
          Rule 4.06

         Summary



    Boy Scouts of America
    David K. Park National Legal Counsel

         Comment   (October 11, 2004)
          Rule 3.03

         Comment   (September 9, 2005)
          Rule 3.04

         Summary



    Brennan Center for Justice
    James Sample Wendy Weiser Associate Counsel Democracy Program

         Comment   (September 15, 2005)
          Canon 5

         Summary



    Bufford, Samuel L.
    Judge United States Bankruptcy Court Central District of Los Angeles

         Comment   (August 13, 2004)
          Rules 4.01 and 4.02



    California Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Code of Judicial Ethics
    Associate Justice Richard D. Fybel Chair

         Comment   (August 26, 2005)
          Preamble, Rule 1.01, Rules 2.05, 2.10, 2.12, Rule 3.04, Rules 4.04, 4.12, and Canon 5

         Summary



    Community Rights Counsel
    Douglas T. Kendall Executive Director Washington, D.C.

         Comment   (November 19, 2004)
          Rules 4.13 - 4.16 and Terminology

         Summary



    Cratsley, Justice John C.
    Associate Justice Massachusetts Superior Court

         Comment   (May 16, 2005)
          judicial settlement activity

         Comment   (September 15, 2005)
          Canon 2

         Summary



    Delaware State Bar Association
    Helen L. Winslow President

         Comment   (September 9, 2005)
          Rules 2.05, 2.12 and 2.14



    Demers, David A.
    Chief Judge Circuit Court Sixth Judicial District State of Florida

         Comment   (September 30, 2004)
          Rule 4.04 (2)(a)(iii)

         Summary



    Drucker, Geoff

         Comment   (September 7, 2005)
          Rule 2.09

         Summary

    Edmunds, Judge Robert H.
    Associate Justice Supreme Court of North Carolina

         Comment   (August 10, 2005)
          Canon 5

         Summary



    Freedman, Monroe H.
    Professor

         Comment   (September 15, 2005)
          Rules 1.03, 2.12, 4.04, 4.13 and Introductory Report

         Summary



    Fox, Lawrence J.
    Drinker, Biddle and Reath LLP Philadelphia, PA The Appearance of Impropriety Amended

         Comment   (June 23, 2004)
          Canon 1

         Summary



    Gable & Gotwals
    Timothy A. Carney

         Comment   (May 12, 2005)
          Rule 3.03

         Summary



    George, Judge Ronald M.
    Chief Justice Supreme Court of California

         Comment   (September 20, 2005)
          Canons 1 and 2

         Summary



    Glazebrook, Judge James
         Comment   (November 7, 2005)
          Rule 4.13

         Summary



    Goldschmidt, Jona PhD
    Loyola University Chicago Associate Professor

         Comment   (December 1, 2004)
           Pro Se litigants

         Summary



    Gray, Judge Karla M.
    Chief Justice Supreme Court of Montana

         Comment   (September 9, 2005)
          Pro Se Litigants

         Summary



    HALT - An Organization of Americans for Legal Reform
    Susan A. Mishkin Associate Counsel

         Comment   (November 18, 2004)
          Gift Provisions        4.13 - 4.16

         Summary



    Hagen, David L.

         Comment   (November 17, 2004)
          Rule 4.13

             Summary

         Comment   (August 1, 2005)
          Canon 1

             Summary

         Comment   (August 3, 2005)
          Preamble and Scope

         Comment   (August 3, 2005)
          Rule 2.07

         Comment   (August 3, 2005)
          Rule 3.04

         Comment   (August 3, 2005)
          Rule 5.01

             Summary



    Hollenhorst, Judge Tom
    Associate Justice Fourth District Court of Appeal (California) Division 2

         Comment   (September 12, 2005)
          Pro se litigants

         Summary



    Ifill, Sherrilyn A.
    Associate Professor of Law University of Maryland School of Law

         Comment   (August 6, 2004)
          Canon 1

         Summary

    Rule 1.01, Comment 4
    Observing Standards of Judicial Conduct

    Professor Ifill urges the Commission to assume leadership in defining the nature of the judicial function as it relates to judicial impartiality and the relevance of diversity to impartiality. Specifically, the Commission should define judicial impartiality, not only in its familiar sense connoting lack of bias by an individual judge for or against a particular party, but also in a fashion that encompasses structural impartiality as related to overall composition of the bench in a jurisdiction. Professor Ifill recommends addition of the following language to Rule 1.01, Comment 4:

    “Impartiality in the context of judges denotes an open mind and the absence of bias in favor of, or against, individual parties or classes of parties. An impartial judiciary is one in which judges are selected by means that are fair and equitable and that result in a qualified and diverse bench.”



    Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee
    Steve Pflaum McDermott, Will & Emery LLP

         Comment   (May 16, 2005)
          Rule 4.04

         Summary



    International Association of Lesbian & Gay Judges
    Sidney A. Galton President

         Comment   (November 17, 2004)
          Rule 3.03

         Summary

    Rule 3.03
    Affiliation with Discriminatory Organizations

    The International Association of Lesbian and Gay Judges (IALGJ) suggests the following revision of Rule 3.03 which incorporates language of Rule 3.03 Comment 3 to eliminate the confusing phrase “to any significant extent” and to provide clarity of the purpose of the rule. (Additions underlined; deletions struck through.)

    “3.03 Affiliation with Discriminatory Organizations. A judge shall not hold membership in any organization that practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, and shall not use the facilities of such an organization in a manner sufficient to create the impression that the judge approves of the organization and its practices to any significant extent.”



    James Madison Center for Free Speech
    James Bopp, Jr. General Counsel

         Comment   (March 15, 2005)
          Rule 5.02(d)

           Summary

         Comment   (September 15, 2005)
          All Canons

           Summary



    Judicial Council of California
    Kathleen E. O'Leary Chair Task Force on Self-Represented Litigants

         Comment   (July 29, 2004)

         Summary

    The Judicial Council of California’s Task Force on Self-Represented Litigants urges the Commission to consider changes to Canons 1 and 2, as well as other canons, to assure judges that they act ethically when they ensure that self-represented, or pro se, litigants are able to present their cases. The Judicial Council summarizes recommendations of its Statewide Action Plan for Serving Self-Represented Litigants, adopted in February 2004 and describes numerous projects underway to implement the Action Plan, several of which involve development of best practices for judges hearing cases involving self-represented litigants.



    Kahn, David L.
    David L. Kahn, PA

         Comment   (June 14, 2004)
          Canon 1 and Rule 1.01

         Summary



    Katz, Judge David A.
    U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio

         Comment   (July 14, 2005)
          Rules 2.08, 2.12, and 4.15

         Summary



    Kaufman, Andrew L.
    Professor Harvard Law School

         Comment   (June 9, 2004)
          Canons 1 and 2

         Summary

         Comment
          Rule 3.03

         Summary

    Affiliation with Discriminatory Organizations

    This document is an article by Professor Kaufman entitled Judicial Correctness: Section 2C of the Code of Judicial Conduct. In his overview of the article, Professor Kaufman explains: "The thesis of the article is that it has been easier to decide that codes governing judicial conduct should express an anti-discrimination principle than it has been to formulate the words that will target the forbidden conduct with sufficient preciseness, that will justify each prohibition, and that will then withstand a constitutional attack based on First Amendment principles. The result of the effort to do so to date has been language that may prohibit less than it promises and more than it should or, in the language of constitutional law, that it is both underinclusive and overinclusive and may, in some of its applications, fall victim to the Supreme Court's current interpretation of the First Amendment." The article sets forth the difficulties with Section 2C as presently worded, then considers five alternatives, of which Professor Kaufman prefers repeal and leaving "its work to be done by a combination of laws of general applicability, the law of disqualification, the electoral and appointive process, and social pressure."



    Larson, Judge John W.
    Montana District Court

         Comment   (September 6, 2005)
          Canon 2

         Summary



    McCarter, Judge Dorothy
    Montana District Court

         Comment   (August 24, 2005)
          Pro Se Litigants

         Summary



    McKoski, Judge Ray
    Circuit Judge Lake County, Illinois

         Comment   (July 15, 2004)
          Rules 2.02, 2.07, 2.08 and 2.12

         Comment   (October 19, 2004)
          Rules 3.01 and 4.04

         Summary



    McVey, Judge Samuel D.
    4th Judicial District Court State of Utah

         Comment   (August 9, 2005)
          Pro Se Litigants

         Summary



    Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards
    David S. Paull, Executive Secretary

         Comment   (May 20, 2004)
          Canons 1 and 2       Rules 1.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 2.20

         Summary



    Montana Commission on the Code of Judicial Conduct
    Justice Patricia Cotter Montana Supreme Court Chair

         Comment   (May 4, 2005)
          Canon 5

         Summary



    Morris, Honorable Joseph W.
         Comment   (May 6, 2005)
          Rule 3.03

         Summary


    National Association of Women Judges
    Judge Sandra Thompson Los Angeles, CA Superior Court

         Comment   (May 26, 2005)
          Canon 2 and Rule 2.05

         Summary

         Comment   (September 14, 2005)
          Rules 2.05 and 2.10



    National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
    Judge Stephen M. Rubin President

    Mary V. Mentaberry Executive Director

         Comment   (August 1, 2005)
          Rules 2.12, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19 and 3.01

         Summary

         Comment   (September 15, 2005)
          Canons 2, 3 and 4



    New Hampshire Judicial Conduct Commission
    Anthony McManus Executive Secretary

         Comment   (August 3, 2005)
          Appearance of Impropriety



    New York County Lawyers' Association
    Executive Committee

         Comment   (July 27, 2005)
          Canon 5 - Part I

         Summary

         Comment   (July 27, 2005)
          Canon 5 - Part II

    Committee on Professional Ethics

         Comment   (September 29, 2005)
          Canons 1, 2 and 5

         Summary



    New York State Bar Association
    Marjorie E. Gross Chair Special Committee to Review the Code of Judicial Conduct

         Comment   (July 29, 2004)
          Canons 1 and 2       Rules 1.01, 2.02, 2.04, 2.05, 2.07, 2.08, 2.09(a)(2), 2.09(a)(3), 2.09(b), 2.12 D(1),       2.12 E, 2.12 G(3), 2.15, 2.20, and Canon 2 Official Conduct

         Summary



    New York State Bar Association Special Committee to Review the Code of Judicial Conduct
    Kathleen R. Mulligan Baxter Senior Director Legal and Governmental Affairs New York State Bar Association

         Comment   (September 14, 2005)
          Canons 2, 3, 4 and 5



    Ohio State Bar Association Judicial Administration and Legal Reform Committee

         Comment   (September 23, 2005)
          Rules 1.03, 2.08, 2.12 and 2.20

         Summary



    Oklahoma Bar Association Access to Justice Committee
    Professor Judith Maute

         Comment   (July 1, 2004)
          Canons 1 and 4       Judicial Support of Pro Bono Activities

         Summary



    Parness, Jeffrey
    Professor Northern Illinois University

         Comment   (June 16, 2004)
          Rule 2.09(a)(4)

             Summary

         Comment   (April 13, 2005)
          Cover Letter

         Comment   (April 13, 2005)
          Canon 2

             Summary

         Comment   (August 2, 2005)
          Cover Letter

         Comment   (August 2, 2005)
          Facilitating Civil Case Settlements and the Description of Adjudication



    Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board
    Francis J. Puskas II Assistant Counsel

         Comment   (January 28, 2005)
          Rule 2.07

         Summary



    Phelps Dunbar LLP
    Luther T. Munford

         Comment   (March 15, 2005)
          Rules 2.11, 2.12, 5.05(b)

         Summary



    Philadelphia Bar Assocation Professional Responsibility Committee Subcommittee
    Nancy Winkelman Chair

         Comment   (October 12, 2005)
          Canon 5



    Public Citizen Litigation Group
    Alan B. Morrison

         Comment   (June 21, 2004)
          Canon 2

         Summary



    Saufley, Judge Leigh I.
    Chief Justice Maine Supreme Judicial Court

         Comment   (August 26, 2005)
          Pro Se Litigants

         Summary



    Shenkin, Judge Robert
    Court of Common Pleas Chester County, Pennsylvania

         Comment   (August 9, 2005)
          Pro Se Litigants

         Summary



    Sherman, Judge Louis A.
    Chief Judge Norfolk General District Court

         Comment   (September 9, 2005)
          Rules 1.03, 3.02, 3.04, 4.13 and 4.15

         Summary



    Smith, W. Calvin
    Melchionna, Terry, Day, Ammar & Black

         Comment   (July 14, 2005)
          Rule 3.04

         Summary



    Stanford Law School
    Alan B. Morrison Senior Lecturer

         Comment   (Dec 16, 2004)
          Canons 3 and 4

         Comment   (June 6, 2005)
          Canon 5

           Summary

         Comment   (July 18, 2005)
          Canon 4

           Summary

         Comment   (July 18, 2005)
          Canon 2

         Comment   (August 11, 2005)
          Drafting Suggestions



    Temple University
    Marina Angel, Professor of Law

         Comment   (August 8, 2005)
          Rule 2.05 (A) and (B)

         Summary



    The Thom Seymour Paine Foundation
    Thom Seymour Paine

         Comment   (September 15, 2005)
          Canons 1, 2, 3 and 4

         Summary



    Weber, Walter M.

         Comment   (July 27, 2005)
          Rule 3.04


    Weller, Barbara

    Gibbs Law Firm, P.A. Seminole, FL

         Comment   (September 27, 2004)
          Rule 2.05       Bias and Discrimination



    Weinstein, Jack B.
    Senior District Judge

         Comment   (October 8, 2004)
          Gift Provisions of Canon 4



    Yoder, Ronnie A.
    Chief Administrative Law Judge U.S. Department of Transportation Washington, D.C.

         Comment   (August 4, 2004)
          Canons 1, 2, 3 and 4

         Comment   (June 14, 2004)
          Canons 1, 2, and 3

         Comment   (November 17, 2004)
          Gift Provisions        4.13 - 4.16



    Zorza, Richard
    Zorza Associates Washington, D.C.

         Comment   (July 8, 2004)
          Canons 1 and 2

         Summary