NCJ Number
110628
Journal
Judicature Volume: 71 Issue: 5 Dated: (February-March 1988) Pages: 262-276
Date Published
1988
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the need for ethical standards of conduct for State court employees and administrators.
Abstract
Very little has been written regarding the standards of ethical conduct for nonjudicial court employees. At the same time, as court dockets and schedules become more crowded, judges often delegate their administrative functions to court employees. Two questions arise concerning this situation: What ethical standard governs how these duties are carried out and who supervises the employees to ensure their behavior is ethical? Court employees often have more than one employer paying their salaries and supervising them. To determine which States had ethical standards of conduct for court employees and administrators, the authors surveyed all State court administrators. Three States (Arizona, Maryland, and Wisconsin) reported that they had ethics codes that applied to court employees. The authors also studied State employee codes as well as statutory and personnel policies to determine if they covered court employees. They found that provisions governing confidentiality and political activity vary widely. The authors conclude that most States need detailed and systematic codes of ethical conduct for State court employees and administrators. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 56 footnotes.