Only Through “A Committee Of Responsible Persons”

A recent opinion on judicial elections from the Florida Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee:

QUESTION 1:  May a judge accept campaign contributions from a candidate running for office in a non-judicial election?

ANSWER: No. A committee of responsible persons established to secure funds for the campaign however may accept such contributions.

QUESTION 2:  May a judge accept contributions from an officer in a local political party organization?

ANSWER: No. A committee of responsible persons established to secure funds for the campaign however may accept such contributions.

QUESTION 3:  May a judge accept contributions that the persons identified in Questions 1 and 2 have generated, if neither of these persons is on the committee of responsible persons established to secure funds for the judge’s campaign?

ANSWER: No. A committee of responsible persons established to secure funds for the campaign may accept such contributions.  Neither the judge nor the committee of responsible persons however may encourage or facilitate, directly or indirectly, the activities of either: (i) a candidate running for another office; or (ii) a political party or an officer thereof, to generate contributions to the judge’s campaign.

(MIke Frisch)