California Code of Judicial Ethics
Amended by the Supreme Court of California effective April 29, 2009; previously
amended March 4, 1999, December 13, 2000, December 30, 2002, June 18, 2003,
December 22, 2003, January 1, 2005, June 1, 2005, July 1, 2006, January 1, 2007,
and January 1, 2008.
Preface
Preamble
Terminology
Canon 1. A judge shall uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary.
Canon 2. A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in
all of the judge’s activities.
Canon 3. A judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially and
diligently.
Canon 4. A judge shall so conduct the judge’s quasi-judicial and extrajudicial
activities as to minimize the risk of conflict with judicial obligations.
Canon 5. A judge or judicial candidate shall refrain from inappropriate political
activity.
Canon 6. Compliance with the code of judicial ethics.
1
Preface
Formal standards of judicial conduct have existed for more than 50 years.
The original Canons of Judicial Ethics promulgated by the American Bar
Association were modified and adopted in 1949 for application in California by
the Conference of California Judges (now the California Judges Association).
In 1969, the American Bar Association determined that current needs and
problems warranted revision of the Canons. In the revision process, a special
American Bar Association committee, headed by former California Chief Justice
Roger Traynor, sought and considered the views of the bench and bar and other
interested persons. The American Bar Association Code of Judicial Conduct was
adopted by the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association August 16,
1972.
Effective January 5, 1975, the California Judges Association adopted a new
California Code of Judicial Conduct adapted from the American Bar Association
1972 Model Code. The California code was recast in gender-neutral form in 1986.
In 1990, the American Bar Association Model Code was further re