New Rules Against Sexual Harassment

Rick Patterson

Attorney

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New rules could be adopted regarding sexual harassment on Monday's American Bar Association meeting. The rules, which were last revised in 1990 would spell out that judges are to avoid "sexual advances, requests for sexual favors" and other such unwelcome behavior.

Ethics and women's groups pushed for even more specific language, but said they welcome special recognition of a problem they say persists to a disturbing degree.

According to Lynn Hecht Schafran, director of the National Judicial Education Program, the additional rules are necessary because "the things that go on are quite astounding." Some ethics experts have said that the new rules (pertaining to sexual misconduct) do not go far enough in reining in expense-paid trips for judges and their spouses to legal seminars.

It is disturbing to think that according to the American Judicature Society, a nonpartisan ethics group made up mainly of lawyers and judges, approximately 70 state judges have been disciplined publicly for sexual harassment since 1990.