U.S. federal judges need "more rigorous" ethics training to ensure they are not hearing disputes in which they have a financial interest, U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said in a year-end report published on Friday, citing a recent Wall Street Journal investigation.
Summary
- REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/Pool/File PhotoDec 31 (Reuters) - U.S. federal judges need “more rigorous” ethics training to ensure they are not hearing disputes in which they have a financial interest, U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said in a year-end report published on Friday, citing a recent Wall Street Journal investigation.
- The newspaper reported in September that 131 federal judges broke disqualification rules and the judicial ethics code by presiding over cases involving companies in which they or family members owned stock.
- Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"But for those judges who had multiple violations, or professed ignorance of the ethics rule, there is a more serious problem of inadequate ethics training," Roberts said in the report.
- Roberts said the federal judiciary’s policymaking body has already begun to enhance ethics training courses for judges to ensure they are aware of their obligations.
- “Collectively, our ethics training programs need to be more rigorous,” Roberts said.