Home › Iowa › Code of Judicial Conduct › Rule 51:1.2

Court Rules Network • courtrules.net

Iowa Code Jud. Conduct 51:1.2

Not legal advice. Verify against official sources before relying on this text in any legal matter.

Rule 51:1.2 Promoting Confidence in the Judiciary

Canon 1: A Judge Shall Uphold and Promote the Independence, Integrity, and Impartiality of the Judiciary and Shall Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety

← Previous Rule 51:1.1: Compliance with the Law Next → Rule 51:1.3: Avoiding Abuse of the Prestige of Judicial Office

Rule Text

A judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence,* integrity,* and impartiality* of the judiciary and shall avoid impropriety* and the appearance of impropriety.

Amendment history: Court Order April 30, 2010, effective May 3, 2010

Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)

This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.

Judges have to act in ways that make people trust the court system. This means being fair, honest, and independent, not just when handling a case, but in everyday life too.

A judge can't do things that look bad, even if those things are technically allowed. If regular people would look at a judge's actions and start to doubt whether the judge can be fair, that's a problem, even if the judge didn't actually do anything wrong. Both real wrongdoing and the appearance of wrongdoing can hurt public trust in the courts.

This rule covers a judge's conduct both on and off the bench. Judges are held to a high standard because people need to believe the courts are fair and trustworthy. If a judge acts in a way that damages this trust, it violates this rule, whether or not the judge broke any other specific law.

Committee Notes

[1] Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by improper conduct and conduct that creates the appearance of impropriety. This principle applies to both the professional and personal conduct of a judge.

[2] A judge should expect to be the subject of public scrutiny that might be viewed as burdensome if applied to other citizens and must accept the restrictions imposed by the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct.

[3] Conduct that compromises or appears to compromise the independence, integrity, and impartiality of a judge undermines public confidence in the judiciary. Because it is not practicable to list all such conduct, the rule is necessarily cast in general terms.

[4] Judges should participate in activities that promote ethical conduct among judges and lawyers, support professionalism within the judiciary and the legal profession, and promote access to justice for all.

[5] Actual improprieties include violations of law, court rules or provisions of the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct. The test for appearance of impropriety is whether the conduct would create in reasonable minds a perception that the judge violated this Code or engaged in other conduct that reflects adversely on the judge’s honesty, impartiality, temperament, or fitness to serve as a judge.

[6] A judge should initiate and participate in community outreach activities for the purpose of promoting public understanding of and confidence in the administration of justice. In conducting such activities, the judge must act in a manner consistent with the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct.

← Previous Rule 51:1.1: Compliance with the Law Next → Rule 51:1.3: Avoiding Abuse of the Prestige of Judicial Office