Standard 2(O) Fund raising

1. This Canon is not intended to prohibit judges from participating in all charitable events. Judges are encouraged to be involved in community activities so long as the judge does not participate in the direct solicitation of funds and the prestige of the office is not used for fund raising. The attendance of a judge at a fund-raising event may be permitted as long as the judge is not soliciting funds and the judge does not allow, or acquiesce in, the organization’s use of the judge’s attendance for fund raising. A judge must make reasonable efforts to ensure that the judge’s staff, court officials, and others subject to the judge’s direction and control do not solicit funds on the judge’s behalf.

2. A judge as an officer, director, trustee, member, or non-legal advisor of a government, civic, or charitable organization, or as an attendee of such an organization’s events, may: (a) attend an organization’s fund-raising events; (b) assist such an organization in planning fund raising and participate in the management and investment of the organization’s funds; (c) make recommendations to public and private fund-granting organizations on projects and programs concerning the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice; (d) as an officer of such an organization, send a general membership solicitation mailing over the judge’s signature; (e) serve as an usher or a food server or preparer, or perform similar functions, at fund-raising events sponsored by educational, religious, charitable, fraternal, or civic associations; or (f) receive acknowledgment as a distinguished alumnus of a law school or other educational institution attended by the judge, or as a distinguished member of a government, civic, or charitable organization including providing or posing for photographs.

3. The following illustrations are examples of activities that are permitted so long as the judge’s judicial office is not advertised or used to promote the events: (a) preparing or serving food and beverages, including handling sale proceeds, at school events, youth sports events, non-political picnics or gatherings, religious events, or other fund-raising events sponsored by organizations or associations described in this section; (b) decorating, setting up for events, cleaning up after events, assisting in registration for events, or providing assistance to people attending events;

(c) attending an event at which a member of the judge’s family or a personal friend is a speaker or guest of honor; or (d) assisting and accompanying their children in their fund-raising activities if the procedures employed are not coercive and the sums nominal.

4. A judge may not: (a) personally participate in the solicitation of funds; (b) personally participate in membership solicitation if the solicitation might reasonably be perceived as coercive or if the membership solicitation is essentially a fund- raising mechanism; (c) use or permit the use of the prestige of judicial office for fund raising or membership solicitation; or (d) be a speaker or guest of honor at an organization’s fund-raising events, unless the events concern raising funds for improving access to the legal system for indigent or low- income individuals, but the judge may attend any such events.

5. Use of an organization’s letterhead for fund raising or membership solicitation does not violate these Canons provided the letterhead lists only the judge’s name and office or other position in the organization without identification that he or she is a judge.