Colo. Code. Jud. Cond. 1.3
A judge shall not abuse the prestige of judicial office to advance the personal or economic interests* of the judge or others, or allow others to do so.
Colo. Code. Jud. Cond. 1.3
COMMENT
[1] It is improper for a judge to use or attempt to use his or her position to gain personal advantage or deferential treatment of any kind. For example, it would be improper for a judge to allude to his or her judicial status to gain favorable treatment in encounters with traffic officials. Similarly, a judge must not use judicial letterhead to gain an advantage in conducting his or her personal business.
[2] A judge may provide a reference or recommendation for an individual based upon the judge's personal knowledge. The judge may use official letterhead if the judge indicates that the reference is personal and if there is no likelihood that the use of the letterhead would reasonably be perceived as an attempt to exert pressure by reason of the judicial office.
[3] Judges may participate in the process of judicial selection by cooperating with appointing authorities and screening committees, and by providing information to such entities concerning the professional qualifications of a person being considered for judicial office.
[4] Special considerations arise when judges write or contribute to publications of for-profit entities, whether related or unrelated to the law. A judge should not permit anyone associated with the publication of such materials to exploit the judge's office in a manner that violates this Rule or other applicable law. In contracts for publication of a judge's writing, the judge should retain sufficient control over the advertising to avoid such exploitation.
ETHICS OPINIONS Judicial officer may not advertise his or her availability to perform wedding ceremonies by sending fliers to wedding planners and may not otherwise solicit business as a wedding officiant. Colo. J.E.A.B. Op. 07-05. Judge may not testify as a character witness on a voluntary basis, but he or she is obligated to comply with a subpoena if one is issued. Judge should consider attempting to discourage, to the extent reasonable, a party or lawyer from subpoenaing the judge as a character witness, unless the interests of justice require the judge's testimony. Colo. J.E.A.B. Op. 06-03. Judge's spouse is not subject to the Code of Judicial Conduct and thus may freely pursue elected office. However, the judge should refrain from attending all political events in support of the spouse's candidacy and must avoid activities that could be perceived as constituting an endorsement of the candidate or using the prestige of the judicial office to benefit the spouse. Colo. J.E.A.B. Op. 05-05. A judge should take appropriate steps to ensure that neither the content of the foreword to a book a judge was asked to write nor the advertising exploit the judicial office or advance the private interests of others. Utah Ad. Op. 90-8. Advising a judge to retain control over the advertising of his publications, including a veto right, to ensure that the judicial position is not exploited nor the private interests of others advanced by use of the prestige of the judge's office. U.S. Conf. Ad. Op. No. 55. A judge should not receive compensation for publication on how to practice before judge's court; for-profit publication on scholarly and legal topics permissible. U.S. Conf. Ad. Op. No. 87.