Pennsylvania Bulletin

PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 02-414

THE COURTS

Title 207--JUDICIAL CONDUCT

PART II.  CONDUCT STANDARDS

[207 PA. CODE CH. 33]

Notice of Adoption of Formal Opinion 2002-1

[32 Pa.B. 1386]

   Notice is hereby given that the Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges has adopted its Formal Opinion 2002-1.

HOWLAND W. ABRAMSON,
Chairperson
Ethics Committee
Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges

FORMAL OPINION 2002-1

Judicial Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges

Time Withdrawn Judicial Candidates Must End Fund Raising

   The Committee has received several requests for advice asking when judicial candidates who have withdrawn their candidacy must end fund raising. Because of the importance of this issue throughout the Commonwealth, the Committee issues this Formal Opinion.

History of Pennsylvania law

   Effective January 1, 1999 the Supreme Court amended Canon 7B (2) of the Code of Judicial Conduct to expressly provide that fund raising of a judicial campaign must end ''no later than the last calendar day of the year in which the judicial election is held.'' Before the amendment the Code did not expressly provide when fund raising must end. However, before the amendment this Committee had decided that after an election, a judge could have only one fund raiser, the judge could not attend, and the fund raiser was required to be held within 6 months after the judge was sworn in.

   The Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct does not expressly address the time when a withdrawn judicial candidate must end fund raising.

Other Jurisdictions

   In contrast to Pennsylvania, the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct expressly provides the time when defeated or withdrawn judicial candidates must end fund raising. That time is the earlier of the time the campaign debt is paid off or 120 days after the defeat or withdrawal. Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct 7(C)(4)(b),(c). Candidates who participate in the general election may raise funds until 120 days after the general election. Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct 7(C)(4)(a).

   In New York judicial candidates who do not run in the general election can raise funds for six months after the primary, convention, caucus, or meeting. New York Codes, Rules and Regulations sections 100.0 (Q), 100.5 (A)(5). Candidates who run in the general election may raise funds for six months after the general election. Id.

   Some other jurisdictions measure the ending time for fund raising from the number days after the last election in which the candidate participates during the election year and do not expressly address withdrawn candidates. E.g., Nebraska Code of Judicial Conduct 5C (2) (30 days); Washington Code of Judicial Conduct 7B (2) (60 days); North Dakota Code of Judicial Conduct 5C (2) (90 days); Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics 7B (4)(b) (120 days). The 1972 American Bar Association Model Code of Judicial Conduct and the 1990 American Bar Association Model Code of Judicial Conduct provide for 90 days.

   The Kentucky Code of Judicial Conduct prohibits any fund raising after the general election. Kentucky Rules of the Supreme Court 4.300, Code of Judicial Conduct 5B (2).

   Louisiana permits post election fund raising only for the purpose of extinguishing campaign debt resulting from that election. Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct 7D (3).

Rationale for the Committee's Opinion

Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct 7B (2) provides in pertinent part:

   A candidate's committees may solicit funds for his campaign no earlier than thirty (30) days prior to the first day for filing nominating petitions or the last day for filing a declaration of intention to seek reelection on a retention basis, and all fundraising activities in connection with such judicial campaign shall terminate no later than the last calendar day of the year in which the judicial election is held.

(Emphasis added).

   The Committee observes that the Code limits candidates who participate in the general election to a post election fund raising period of less than sixty days, i. e. from the date after the general election (which is held in November) to December 31. The Committee considered whether candidates who withdraw should be limited to fund raising after their withdrawal by the same number of days as candidates who participate in the general election have after the general election, a period of less than sixty days. However, because the language of the Code provides the date by which fund raising must end rather than the number of days after the general election and does not refer to the general election in selecting the ending date, the Committee rejected the view that fund raising must end by a period of less than sixty days after the candidate withdraws, i.e. the number of days a candidate in the general election would have to fund raise after the general election.

   However, as indicated by the above underlined portions of the Code, in addition to the December 31 cut off date, the Code limits fund raising ''for his campaign'' and ''in connection with such judicial campaign.'' These limits require that a withdrawn judicial candidate end fund raising when the campaign debt has been extinguished. The reason is that for a withdrawn candidate, because such judicial campaign has ended, any fund raising after the debt has been extinguished could not be for ''such judicial campaign.'' To give effect to all the provisions of Code of Judicial Conduct 7B (2), a withdrawn judicial candidate must end fund raising when the campaign debt has been extinguished or by December 31 of the election year, whichever occurs first.

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 02-414. Filed for public inspection March 15, 2002, 9:00 a.m.]

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