Rule 1.1 Compliance With the Law

Judges have to follow the law, plain and simple. This includes all the regular laws that apply to everyone else, plus the special set of ethics rules made just for judges.

This rule exists because judges are supposed to uphold the law, so they need to actually follow it themselves. A judge can't expect people to respect the legal system if the judge doesn't play by the same rules. If a judge breaks the law or violates the ethics code, they can face discipline for it.