Colo. Code. Jud. Cond. 1.1

As amended through Rule Change 2024(18), effective October 2, 2024

Rule 1.1 - Compliance with the Law

(A) A judge shall comply with the law,* including the Code of Judicial Conduct.

(B) Conduct by a judge that violates a criminal law may, unless the violation is minor, constitute a violation of the requirement that a judge must comply with the law.

(C) Every judge subject to the Code of Judicial Conduct, upon being convicted of a crime, except misdemeanor traffic offenses or traffic ordinance violations not including the use of alcohol or drugs, shall notify the appropriate authority* in writing of such conviction within ten days after the date of the conviction. In addition, the clerk of any court in this state in which the conviction was entered shall transmit to the appropriate authority within ten days after the date of the conviction a certificate thereof. This obligation to self-report convictions is a parallel but independent obligation of judges admitted to the Colorado bar to report the same conduct to the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel pursuant to C.R.C.P. 242.11.

Colo. Code. Jud. Cond. 1.1

Amended and adopted May 20, 2021, effective 7/1/2021.

ANNOTATION Violations by a judge of federal or state criminal law may constitute a violation of the requirement that a judge must comply with the law, unless the violation is trivial. Matter of Vandelinde, 366 S.E.2d 631, 633 (W. Va. 1988) (involving a magistrate judge's misconduct in the form of excess election contributions). Violation of law, however trivial, harmless or isolated, is not necessarily a violation of the judicial canons. However, conduct that is grave, intentional and threatening, such as criminal mischief in third degree, falls on censurable side of line. In re Conduct of Roth, 645 P.2d 1064 (Or. 1982) (disciplining a judge for third degree criminal mischief). Some violations of law (such as minor traffic infractions) may be of such a nature as to not come within the intended meaning of [this Rule]. In re Sawyer, 594 P.2d 805, 811 (Or. 1979) (concluding that a judge who is regularly-employed as a part-time teacher for pay by a state-funded college violates a state constitutional prohibition against officials of one state department exercising functions of another).