The Judiciary of England and Wales has published a revised guide to judicial conduct. The guide offers assistance to judges on conduct issues, rather than prescribing a detailed code.
The guidance, Judges’ Council of England and Wales: Guide to Judicial Conduct (August 2011) sets out principles from which judges can make their own decisions and is intended as a tool to assist them in dealing with difficult ethical problems. Although it is primarily aimed at professional judges, including employment judges, the guide is designed to be of assistance to all the judiciary, including tribunal members.
The guidance provides advice on preserving judicial independence and impartiality, including that judges should avoid any extra-judicial activities that would cause a conflict of interest and cause him or her to have to refrain from sitting on a case (for example, political activities). New guidance on social networking has been included which advises that judges should take care when providing personal information to social networking sites.
This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. Where employment tribunal and appellate court cases are reported, the information does not set out all of the facts, the legal arguments presented and the judgments made in every aspect of the case. Employment law is subject to constant change either by statute or by interpretation by the courts. While every care has been taken in compiling this information, we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Specialist legal advice must be taken on any legal issues that may arise before embarking upon any formal course of action.
