Compliance With The Code of Judicial Conduct
The management of patron and sponsorship fees is consistent with Advisory Opinion No. 67, Judicial Conference of the United States, Committee on Codes of Conduct (June 2009), which addresses questions about whether judges may attend seminars and similar educational programs organized, sponsored, or funded by entities other than the federal judiciary. The Code of Conduct for United States Judges, Canon 4 and its Commentary states that: “judges are encouraged to take part in law-related activities.” A judge’s participation in law-related activities is encouraged because “[a]s a judicial officer and a person specially learned in the law, a judge is in a unique position to contribute to the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice, including revising substantive and procedural law and improving criminal and juvenile justice.” Commentary to Canon 4.
Consistent with Advisory Opinion No. 67, the Center has numerous financial patrons and sponsors, “none of which contributes a substantial portion of the cost of a particular conference or other Center-presented program.” As noted in Advisory Opinion No. 67, “when no single entity contributes more than a small proportion of a seminar’s cost, there is little reason for concern about the identity of individual contributors as the resulting benefits are too minor and attenuated to create ethical concerns.” Center-held programs are also funded by patron contributions to the Center, sponsorships of targeted events, and registration fees. The Center exercises final control over the curriculum, faculty, and invitation list.