Disciplinary Counsel v. Rudduck

Summary

The court dismissed the disciplinary complaint against a judge who publicly shared and commented on Facebook content supporting his son’s judicial campaign. It held that the judicial anti-endorsement rule is a content-based restriction on core political speech that fails strict scrutiny, and that the related findings under the judicial-conduct rules could not support discipline. The court also concluded that the judge’s Facebook essay did not abuse the prestige of judicial office.