Back
in
September,
the
U.S.
Judicial
Conference’s
Committee
on
Codes
of
Conduct
published
an
advisory
opinion
concerning
judicial
employees’
political
activities.
At
the
time,
judges
were
encouraged
to
curtail
law
clerks
from
applying
to
post-clerkship
political
jobs
while
working
for
the
federal
court
system,
as
such
job
searches
could
“risk[]
linking
the
judge’s
chambers
to
political
activity,
which
could
compromise
the
independence
of
the
judiciary.”
Six
months
later,
now
that
Trump
is
back
in
the
White
House,
that
judicial
ethics
opinion
is
looking
pretty
relaxed.
Late
last
week,
the
judicial
panel
modified
its
advisory
opinion,
and
as
noted
by
Reuters,
it’s
much
more
lenient:
[O]n
Friday,
the
committee,
which
is
tasked
with
providing
judges
and
judicial
employees
guidance
on
ethical
issues,
took
a
less
strict
view
of
such
employment,
saying
it
only
“may
pose
such
a
risk”
under
“some
circumstances.”“Ultimately,
the
appointing
judge
retains
discretion
to
assess
this
risk
and
to
impose
restrictions
or
limitations,
if
any,”
the
new
ethics
guidance
advised.The
committee
said
that
assessments
of
those
risks
should
now
be
made
on
a
“case-by-case
basis
in
full
consideration
of
all
the
facts,
circumstances,
and
potential
risks
involved,
underscoring
the
importance
that
the
judge,
as
the
law
clerk’s
appointing
authority,
should
be
completely
informed.”
This
is
a
pretty
significant
walking
back
of
the
committee’s
ethics
rule
during
a
time
when
judicial
ethics
may
matter
more
than
they
ever
have
before.
But
then
again,
who’s
to
say
that
a
judge
wouldn’t
be
threatened
with
possible
impeachment
if
word
got
out
that
they
prevented
a
clerk
from
applying
to
a
post-clerkship
political
job?
Because
of
the
unprecedented
times
we
live
in,
anything
is
possible.
US
judiciary
relaxes
ethics
standard
on
clerks
seeking
political
jobs
[Reuters]
Earlier:
Federal
Law
Clerks
Barred
From
Applying
To
‘Political’
Jobs
While
Clerking
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
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