If a canon requires conduct in a certain manner, what does that imply about discretion?

If a canon requires conduct in a certain manner, what does that imply about discretion?

• A. The judge has discretion to ignore the canon.
• B. The judge must follow the canon; no discretion.
• C. The canon is optional.
• D. It applies only to certain judges.

Answer: (B)

When a canon requires conduct in a certain manner, it means compliance is mandatory. Canons set rules for how judges must behave and conduct themselves; if a specific conduct is required, there is no option to ignore or deviate from it. The goal is to ensure consistency, fairness, and integrity in the judiciary, so a judge is obligated to follow the canon without discretion. The other choices don’t fit because ignoring the canon would violate a mandatory requirement, calling it optional misreads the word “requires,” and suggesting it only applies to some judges ignores the general expectation that canons govern conduct for judges as a whole.

When a canon requires conduct in a certain manner, it means compliance is mandatory. Canons set rules for how judges must behave and conduct themselves; if a specific conduct is required, there is no option to ignore or deviate from it. The goal is to ensure consistency, fairness, and integrity in the judiciary, so a judge is obligated to follow the canon without discretion. The other choices don’t fit because ignoring the canon would violate a mandatory requirement, calling it optional misreads the word “requires,” and suggesting it only applies to some judges ignores the general expectation that canons govern conduct for judges as a whole.