I am a lawyer and if I know I am going to have cases before a particular court or judge, is it ethical for me, during the judicial race for that position and, even more so, during the retention races, to give substantial campaign contributions to judicial candidates?
No contribution is ever given directly to a judicial candidate. Under Canon 7 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, contributions can only be made to the campaign committee of the judicial candidate. The campaign committee can only solicit contributions during the election year. The solicitation period starts 30 days before filing the nominating petitions and ends Dec. 31.
