Opinion 02-05

May 9, 2002

         This is in response to your inquiry (02-05) in which you ask whether you may be honored as Trustee of the Year at the annual dinner dance of a hospital on whose board you have served for 10 years, and at the annual luncheon of the [ ] which will be presenting awards to various trustees designated by member hospitals.

         If either or both events are fund-raisers, the applicable rule is set forth in section 100.4(C)(3)(b)(ii) of the Rules Governing Judicial Conduct which states as follows:

[A judge] may not be a speaker or the guest of honor at an organization’s fund-raising events, but the judge may attend such events. Nothing in this sub-paragraph shall prohibit a judge from being a speaker or guest of honor at acourt employee organization, bar association or law school function or from accepting at another organization’s fund-raising event an unadvertised award ancillary to such event.

         We enclose for your consideration Opinions 01-51, 01-30, and 99-99 which have applied this provision.