Md. Rule 18-201.2 (2026)

(a) Promoting Public Confidence. A judicial appointee shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary.

(b) Avoiding Perception of Impropriety. A judicial appointee shall avoid conduct that would create in reasonable minds a perception of impropriety.

(c) Avoiding Perception of Bias. A judicial appointee shall avoid conduct that would create in reasonable minds a perception that the judicial appointee is acting with bias based on race, sex, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status, socioeconomic status, or political affiliation.

COMMENT

[1] Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by improper conduct and conduct that creates the appearance of impropriety or bias. This principle applies to both the professional and personal conduct of a judicial appointee.

[2] A judicial appointee should expect to be the subject of public scrutiny that might be viewed as burdensome if applied to other citizens, and must accept the restrictions imposed by this Code.

[3] Conduct that compromises or appears to compromise the independence, integrity, and impartiality of a judicial appointee undermines public confidence in the judiciary. Because it is not practicable to list all such conduct, the Rule is necessarily cast in general terms.

[4] Judicial appointees should participate in activities, including training and other educational opportunities, that promote ethical conduct among judicial appointees and attorneys, support professionalism within the judiciary and the legal profession, encourage increased awareness of actual and implicit biases, and promote access to justice for all.

[5] Actual improprieties include violations of law, Court Rules, and this Code. The test for appearance of impropriety is whether the conduct would create in reasonable minds a perception that the judicial appointee's ability to carry out the responsibilities of the judicial appointee's position with competence, impartiality, and integrity is impaired.

[6] Members of the public interacting with the judiciary should be treated fairly and impartially both in fact and in appearance. Judicial appointees should be mindful that bias may be explicit but also may be implicit, meaning behavior that is largely influenced by subconscious associations and judgments without prompting. If a judicial appointee is alerted that the judicial appointee's conduct could cause a reasonable person to question the judicial appointee's impartiality or otherwise suggest impermissible bias on the part of the court, the judicial appointee should evaluate the conduct and, if necessary, take reasonable and lawful steps to correct the conduct.

[7] A judicial appointee should, where appropriate, initiate and participate in community outreach activities for the purpose of promoting public understanding of and confidence in the administration of justice. In conducting such activities, the judicial appointee must act in a manner consistent with this Code.

Source: This Rule is derived in part from former Rule 1.2 of Rule 16-814 (2016) and is in part new.

Credits

[Adopted June 6, 2016, eff. July 1, 2016. Amended June 27, 2025, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.]