Courts Soften Stance Against Law Clerks Seeking Political Work

The federal judiciary is walking back an ethics opinion that told judges to prevent their law clerks from seeking jobs with political groups while still working for the court, instead leaving that decision up to individual judges.

The Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct in September had said such job searches by law clerks “may run the risk” of associating a judge’s chambers with political activity. In updated opinions released Friday, the committee now says that while it’s “critical” to separate the judiciary from politics, it’s up to individual judges to determine “to assess this risk and to impose ...