Rule 3.5 Use of Nonpublic Information

Judges often learn private information through their work on cases that regular people don't have access to. This might include facts from sealed records, details shared during private conversations with attorneys, or other information that hasn't been made public.

This rule says judges can't use that inside information for anything other than doing their job. For example, a judge can't tip off a friend about a business deal because they learned something confidential during a case, and they can't use private case details to help themselves financially or help someone they know.

The point is to stop judges from taking advantage of what they learn on the bench. People need to trust that judges won't misuse private information for personal gain or to help others outside of their official duties.