Federal judges now required to have transparency in travels

United States Federal judges have agreed on 19 September 2006 to organise a quicker and much more extensive disclosure method of the judiciary’s government-paid travels. The decision stemmed from criticisms that the judges’ trips could weaken the public's trust in a fair judiciary.

The country's two thousand federal judges will also have to apply a certain computer system that is meant to make it easier for them to recognise and avoid cases in which the judges have financial conflict.

The chief justice has also taken advices from a board led by Justice Stephen Breyer. The Judge Breyer-led group detected other problems including the handling by judges of sensational cases against other judges.

The Congress earlier suggested a proposition to strictly monitor judicial ethics in the form of a travel ban or establishment of an ethics overseer for the courts.

Under the newly imposed travel guidelines, trip sponsors must disclose in advance who is shouldering the expenses for a judge's tour to private seminars. As stipulated, the needed data is to be printed on the judicial branch's Web site.

The instruction also provides that judges are not allowed to accept travel provided by sponsors unless such sponsors provide essential information.

The judicial law also requires a 30 day period for judges to publicise in local court websites a report about the travel.

The new regulations however will not be valid to the Supreme Court because it has no official ethics laws and is not currently covered by the Judicial Conference.