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State and Local Government Law

2012

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

St. Mary’s University School of Law

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Full-Text Articles in Law

Social Networking And Judicial Ethics., Craig Estlinbaum Jan 2012

Social Networking And Judicial Ethics., Craig Estlinbaum

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Social network sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Linkedln, and Twitter have become an increasingly ever-present feature in American life since first appearing in the late 1990s. SNSs now impact virtually all parts of daily life, and the judiciary is not immune to this effect. Recent statistics show that approximately 40% of judges nationwide utilize SNSs for personal, professional, and electoral purposes. Social media, like any public communication form, presents special ethical challenges for judges. In recent years, judicial ethics committees in various states have weighed in on these questions and have not shown any clear consensus. However, it is generally …


Order In The Court!: Ethical Conduct In A Criminal Trial Under The Texas Disciplinary Rules., Edward L. Wilkinson Jan 2012

Order In The Court!: Ethical Conduct In A Criminal Trial Under The Texas Disciplinary Rules., Edward L. Wilkinson

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

In a criminal trial, the most common ethical duties implicated are the duty of candor to the tribunal, maintaining the impartiality and integrity of the tribunal, and the fairness of the proceeding as a whole. Under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, these duties are broken down in Rules 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, and 3.06. Attorneys are charged with the responsibility of fully understanding each of these duties in order to interact accordingly with the tribunal. This Article will examine, in detail, each of these rules individually. Additionally, the Article will analyze how each of the rules overlap and coincide …