Supreme Court of Florida
In Re: Amendments to Canons 4 and 5 of the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct
May 28, 2020295 So. 3d 1146
Summary
The Court held that existing Canons 4 and 5 prohibit judges from soliciting donations from fellow judges to provide disaster assistance to judges, judicial assistants, and court staff through the Conferences of Circuit and County Court Judges. The Conferences are law-related organizations, not civic or charitable organizations, so fundraising on their behalf is limited to law-related purposes; charitable assistance must instead be provided through an organization permitted under Canon 5C(3). The Court declined to adopt the proposed amendments because the existing provisions are sufficiently clear.