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My 'Friend,' the Judge

By William R. Wright
May 29, 2012

Social media has revolutionized the way people around the world communicate. Judges are certainly not excluded from this phenomenon. While our communication modes evolve, Rule 2.4(B) of the American Bar Association's Model Code of Judicial Conduct (2007) (“Model Code”) still rightly states: “A judge shall not permit family, social, political, financial, or other interests or relationships to influence the judge's judicial conduct or judgment.” (Emphasis added.)

Does this rule address relationships formed on social media? More specifically, is it permissible for a judge to become friends on a social media site with lawyers who appear before the judge? The comments to the rule do not address the issue, and there is disagreement among ethics committees in the various states with respect to this specific question.

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