Opinion 92-51

May 22, 1992

Dear Justice

         The Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, at its meeting of May 7, 1992, considered your Inquiry 92-51, dated March 26, 1992, about securing the attendance of a defendant.

         Section 100.2(a) of the Rules of the Chief Administrator states that a judge “shall conduct himself or herself at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.” Your impartiality might reasonably be questioned if you personally contact the defendant, and thus, you should not do this. The better practice would be to have the clerk of the court notify the defendant and defense counsel of adjournment dates.

Very truly yours,

Samuel J. Silverman

Chair