Judge in Hot Water for TikTok Videos
You can be a judge, or you can be a rap star, or you can be a TikTok video influencer.
But it’s probably a bad idea to try and be all three at once.
Just ask the New Jersey judge who was slapped with a professional complaint after posting TikTok videos of himself lip-synching to music with sexual and violent content.
Over the course of two years, the judge posted videos recorded in his robes and in the courthouse to the musical accompaniment of Beavis & Butthead and the like.
Although the judge is not alleged to have intended harm, he will nonetheless have to respond to the professional conduct charge.
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North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct
Preamble
An independent and honorable judiciary is indispensable to justice in our society, and to this end and in furtherance thereof, this Code of Judicial Conduct is hereby established. A violation of this Code of Judicial Conduct may be deemed conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute, or willful misconduct in office, or otherwise as grounds for disciplinary proceedings pursuant to Article 30 of Chapter 7A of the General Statutes of North Carolina.
No other code or proposed code of judicial conduct shall be relied upon in the interpretation and application of this Code of Judicial Conduct.
Canon 1
A judge should uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary. A judge should participate in establishing, maintaining, and enforcing, and should personally observe, appropriate standards of conduct to ensure that the integrity and independence of the judiciary shall be preserved.
Canon 2
A judge should avoid impropriety in all the judge's activities.
- A judge should respect and comply with the law and should conduct himself/herself at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.
- A judge should not allow the judge's family, social or other relationships to influence the judge's judicial conduct or judgment. The judge should not lend the prestige of the judge's office to advance the private interest of others except as permitted by this Code; nor should the judge convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge. A judge may, based on personal knowledge, serve as a personal reference or provide a letter of recommendation. A judge should not testify voluntarily as a character witness.
- A judge should not hold membership in any organization that practices unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion or national origin.
Source: NC Code of Judicial Conduct
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