Opinion ID: 2807428
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: history of the code

Text: -5- This Court adopted the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct in 1973, upon petition from The Florida Bar, to replace the Canons of Judicial Ethics that had governed judicial conduct in Florida since 1941. See In re The Fla. Bar—Code of Jud. Conduct, 281 So. 2d 21, 21-22 (Fla. 1973). Canon 7 of that newly adopted Code, entitled, “A Judge Should Refrain from Political Activity Inappropriate to his Judicial Office,” provided that a “judge or judicial candidate for election to judicial office should not . . . publicly endorse a candidate for public office.” Id. at 31. This Canon remained in effect for two decades and, along with the entire Code, sought to ensure that Florida’s judiciary maintained its critical role in our democracy as the independent and non-political branch of state government. In 1994, after the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted a new Model Code of Judicial Conduct, this Court unanimously replaced the 1973 Code with a Code that, according to this Court, was “substantially the same as” the ABA Model Code. See In re Code of Jud. Conduct, 643 So. 2d 1037, 1040 (Fla. 1994). The new Code, which as amended remains in effect to this day, “establishes standards for ethical conduct of judges.” Fla. Code of Jud. Conduct, Preamble. The Code is comprised of “broad statements called Canons, specific rules set forth in Sections under each Canon,” and a Commentary section for each Canon, which through explanation and example “provides guidance with respect to the purpose and meaning of the Canons and Sections.” Id. -6-