While Judges are not banned from judicial use of social media, online comments and befriending may be misconstrued by the public. The New Mexico Supreme Court’s opinion parallels the position expressed by the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Formal Ethics Opinion 462, issued Feb. 21, 2013. “A judge may participate in electronic social networking,” states the committee in Opinion 462, “but as with all social relationships and contacts, a judge must comply with relevant provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct and avoid any conduct that would undermine the judge’s independence, integrity or impartiality, or create an appearance of impropriety.”
