MAHONING COUNTY Giving gifts to judges remains on no-no list

Cards are acceptable but gifts are not, the lawyers group said.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County Bar Association is continuing to counsel judges to decline holiday gifts from lawyers -- a recommendation first made a year ago.
All county judges received a memo from the bar association last year informing them that they should not accept any gifts from lawyers. A memo was also sent to all lawyers.
The move came at a time when the legal community was hit hard by revelations of bribery and case-fixing that involved former Prosecutor James A. Philomena and several judges and lawyers.
Even though lawyers had dropped off gifts like bottles of liquor or boxes of candy to judges for years, the bar association did not want an appearance of impropriety last year.
The same rule is in effect this year, said association President Ted Roberts.
"Sometimes the old ways are not the best ways," Roberts said. "Change is uncomfortable, but sometimes we need to make those changes anyway."
Matter of ethics: Ohio's judicial ethics rules prohibit judges from accepting anything of more than minimal value from lawyers. Cards are acceptable, but anything more is generally frowned upon.
Roberts said most judges and lawyers are sensitive to the issue now and understand that Christmas gifts, even the most well-intended, should be off-limits.
"I think most, if not all, judges recognize the need to maintain that separation," Roberts said.
He said the bar association is making progress toward shedding the reputation brought on by the local corruption probe.
He cited a recent article in Ohio Lawyers Weekly, in which Ohio's disciplinary counsel recognized the county bar for having one of the most innovative and effective judicial campaign review processes in the state.
"We were pleasantly surprised by that," Roberts said.
The review process was put in place several years ago to stem the tide of negative campaigning that had permeated some judicial campaigns, Roberts said.
bjackson@vindy.com