It comes as no surprise that over the years judges have received awards for their help raising awareness about the social costs of drinking and driving, in part through their work sentencing offenders in alcohol-related cases.
The last time a sitting judge in the state was widely recognized in that way was in 2010, when Superior Court Judge Susan B. Handy won state and national awards from Mother’s Against Drunk Driving. But a Judicial Branch ethics committee has put the brakes on the practice, at least unofficially, with an advisory opinion that such awards can undermine public confidence in a judge’s impartiality or create a situation that might “advance the personal or economic interests of the judge or others.”
