We’ve noted that the Supreme Court has many non-case-related responsibilities. One of those is the constitutionally required job of adopting a Code of Judicial Ethics. (See article VI, section 18(m).) The Code provides “rules for the conduct of judges, both on and off the bench, and for judicial candidates in the conduct of their campaigns.”
Yesterday, the court unanimously voted to broaden a rule in the Code that prohibits judges from belonging to any organization that “practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.” The court eliminated an exception to the rule that allowed judges to belong to discriminatory non-profit youth organizations, like the Boy Scouts. The change to the Code is not effective until next year.
