Judicial conference warns federal judges to be wary of prejudices when commenting on certain issues

The Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct released an advisory opinion Thursday, warning federal judges to be aware of potential biases when commenting or ruling on certain hot button issues.The opinion comes after Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan raised concerns that some judges could have violated the Code of Conduct for United States Judges by smearing the Supreme Court. 
The Congressional judicial chairmen claimed the comments, which were made to the press anonymously, could cast doubt on the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary branch.
The Judicial Conference advised federal judges to consider whether comments they make publicly could lead to the perception that the “judicial position is being exploited to advance the private interests of the judge or others.”
“In general, civic engagement activity over which a judge retains a measure of control will create less ethical risk, for example, than writings or public statements that have been solicited by others for their own use or purposes,” the committee wrote. “With respect to some particularly controversial topics, judges should be mindful that simply addressing certain topics might be viewed as taking a partisan position or reflecting a lack of impartiality.”
Grassley praised the opinion in a social media post Friday afternoon, claiming he was “pleased to see the Judicial [Conference] issue an advisory opinion to remind federal judges to avoid using public forums to air private bias.”

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