This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
If you're a judge, a retired judge, or someone running for judicial office, you can ask this panel for advice before you act. The panel reviews situations you're thinking about and tells you whether that planned action would follow the Code of Judicial Conduct, the rules that govern how judges should behave.
This process is meant to help judges and candidates avoid ethics problems before they happen, not after. Instead of guessing whether something is allowed or waiting to get in trouble, a judge can check with the panel first and get guidance on a specific, real situation they're facing.
It's worth noting that only certain people can ask for this advice. You need to be a sitting judge, a retired judge, or a legitimate candidate for a judicial position. The panel gives opinions on future conduct, meaning plans you have not yet carried out, so it works best as a way to get answers ahead of time rather than a way to defend actions you've already taken.
