Law Commons^™

The Ethical Dilemma Of Campaigning For Judicial Office: A Proposed Solution

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Candidates for judicial office looked to the Canons of Judicial Ethics for the appropriate behavior expected of a candidate during a judicial campaign. Canons 30 and 32 require candidates to remain free from an appearance of influence by those who have contributed to the campaign. The difficulty in complying with the need to raise money and to remain free from the appearance of influence led to the adoption of the Code of Judicial Conduct in 1972. Canon 7B(2) bars candidates from solicitation and acceptance of campaign contributions. The Note examines the ambiguities surrounding Canon 7B(2), and conducts a survey of …