Opinion 25-110

September 10, 2025

Facts/Issue:  A supervising judge asks if he/she may invite the District Attorney’s office and institutional defense counsel to provide training for new criminal court judges on the structure and operation of their respective agencies in a “lunch and learn” setting over multiple days.  The judge envisions that the discussion would “focus on the offices’ overall structures; the various units and what cases they handle; case flow from write-up/assignment to defense counsel all the way through trial/disposition” and would not involve any discussion of current cases.  The judge also asks if there are “any other limitations that the speakers would have to observe.”

Discussion:   We have advised that a judge may host an informal and voluntary “lunch and learn” program for judges and court personnel, provided the presentation speakers and content are balanced and not one-sided.  The content of any specific session need not be balanced if the training requires multiple sessions, but the presentations must achieve balance over time.

                   We note that the proposed topics appear to be permissible, and thus any additional limitations would be speculative at this juncture.

Conclusion:  A supervising judge may further judicial education by inviting prosecutors and institutional defense counsel to train judges on the structure and operation of their respective agencies, provided the program as a whole is balanced and impartial.

Authorities:  Opinion 24-34.