Rule 8.2 Judicial and Legal Officials

Lawyers cannot lie about judges or other legal officials, like arbitrators or hearing officers. This also covers people running for a judicial position. A lawyer breaks this rule if they say something false about a judge's honesty or qualifications, or if they make careless statements without caring whether they are true or not.

This means lawyers need to be careful when criticizing judges. They can still raise honest concerns or file legitimate complaints about a judge's conduct, but they cannot spread false information or make reckless accusations just to damage someone's reputation.

If a lawyer decides to run for a judicial position themselves, they must follow the separate Code of Judicial Conduct rules that apply to judicial candidates. This means their campaign conduct is held to standards beyond just the normal rules for lawyers.