Private and public educational institutions are included in the reporting requirement. 1

 This term includes Article III judges as well as fixed-term judges and judicial officers.

2

 The term “expenses” is not intended to include seminar books and materials. 3

 Currently, a judge must report any reimbursement exceeding $305. This figure is subject 4

to change every three years in accordance with the cost of living as determined by the Administrator

of General Services. See 5 U.S.C. § 7342(a)(5); 41 C.F.R. sec. 102-42; see also 5 U.S.C. app.

§ 102(a)(2)(B).

Judicial Conference Policy on Judges’ Attendance 

at Privately Funded Educational Programs

Approved September 19, 2006; effective January 1, 2007

1. A nongovernmental source, other than a state or local bar association, a subject-matter bar 1

association, a judicial association, the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, or

the National Judicial College, that wishes to pay for or reimburse federal judges’ expenses 2

(i.e., travel, food, lodging, or anything that would be considered a gift under the Judicial

Conference Ethics Reform Act Gift Regulations) above the threshold at which judges must 3

report reimbursements on their annual financial disclosure reports in connection with 4

attending, as a speaker or participant, a program, a significant purpose of which is the

education of United States federal or state judges, shall disclose to the Administrative Office

of the U.S. Courts in writing the following information: 

(a) the name of the program provider(s);

(b) the name or title of the program;

(c) the dates and location of the program;

(d) the various presentation topics and the speakers expected respectively

to address each topic; and

(e) all the program provider’s source(s) of support, financial or otherwise,

as defined below.

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts shall develop a detailed form for this purpose.

Upon receipt, the Administrative Office shall promptly post the information on the

Judiciary’s website (www.uscourts.gov) so that it is publicly available and available to

judges. The filing shall be retained for a period of three years from the date of filing. 

2. A federal judge shall not accept travel, food, lodging, reimbursement, or anything that would

be considered a gift under the Judicial Conference Ethics Reform Act Gift Regulations from

a nongovernmental source other than a state or local bar association, a subject-matter bar

association, a judicial association, the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, or

the National Judicial College, in connection with attending, as a speaker or participant, a
2

program, a significant purpose of which is the education of United States federal or state

judges, unless the judge:

a. ascertains from the Judiciary’s website that the program provider has made the

disclosures required in (1); and

b. within 30 days following the conclusion of the educational program, files a report in

the office of the relevant clerk of court (court of appeals, district court, Court of

International Trade, Court of Federal Claims, or bankruptcy court, as appropriate),

disclosing the dates of attendance, the name of the program provider(s), and the title

of the educational program. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts shall

develop a form for this purpose. This filing shall be available on the local court’s

website. The filing shall be retained for a period of three years from the date of

filing. 

3. This is a policy of the Judicial Conference. It is not intended to change the Code of Conduct

for United States Judges (see in particular Advisory Opinion No. 67 of the Judicial

Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct) or the annual financial disclosure reporting

requirements for judges under the Ethics in Government Act, 5 U.S.C. app. §§ 101-111. 

Definition of source of financial or other support

1. If the support, financial or otherwise, comes from the general revenues of the program

provider(s), and/or from endowments or gifts not raised for the particular educational

program or for the purpose of educating judges, then it is sufficient to identify the program

provider(s) as the source of support.

2. If the support, financial or otherwise, comes in whole or in part from money, goods or

services from others (e.g., corporations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, individual

donors) specifically for the particular educational program, or for the education of judges

generally, list every such donor. This policy is not intended to require the disclosure and

reporting of monies derived from tuition, educational program registration fees, and other

similar enrollment fees.