Rule 4.3 Campaign Committees

(A) A judge running for re-election may establish a campaign committee to manage and conduct a campaign for the judge, subject to the provisions of this Code. The judge is responsible for ensuring that his or her campaign committee complies with applicable provisions of this Code and other applicable law.

(B) A judge running for re-election shall direct his or her campaign committee:

(1) to solicit and accept only such campaign contributions as are reasonable, appropriate under the circumstances, and in conformity with applicable law;

(2) not to solicit or accept contributions for a candidate’s current campaign more than three hundred sixty-five (365) days before the applicable primary election, caucus, or general or retention election, nor more than ninety (90) days after the last election in which the candidate participated; and

(3) to comply with all applicable statutory requirements for disclosure and divestiture of campaign contributions, and to file with the Office of the Public Auditor a report stating the name, address, occupation, and employer of each person who has made campaign contributions to the committee in an aggregate value exceeding $500.00. The report must be filed within fifty (50) days following an election, or within such other period as is provided by law.

Comment [1] Judges are prohibited from personally soliciting campaign contributions or personally accepting campaign contributions. See Rule 4.1(A)(8). [2] Campaign committees may solicit and accept campaign contributions, manage the expenditure of campaign funds, and generally conduct campaigns. Judges running for re-election are responsible for compliance with the requirements of election law and other applicable law, and for the activities of their campaign committees. [3] At the start of a campaign, the judge must instruct the campaign committee to solicit or accept only such contributions as are reasonable in amount, appropriate under the circumstances, and in conformity with applicable law. Although lawyers and others who might appear before a successful renewal term for judicial office are permitted to make campaign contributions, the judge running for re-election should instruct his or her campaign committee to be especially cautious in connection with such contributions, so they do not create grounds for disqualification if the candidate is re-elected to judicial office. See Rule 2.11.