Pennsylvania: Lawyers pay judges travel costs

According to financial disclosure forms, five of the seven justices serving on the supreme court in 2011 accepted travel or hospitality that was often provided by attorney associations whose members might appear before the court. Some legal scholars question the propriety of such arrangements. While the American Bar Association’s Model Code of Judicial Conduct encourages judges to engage in speaking and lecturing and allows them to accept honoraria and other compensation, it also cautions judges against acting in a way that would undermine, or appear to undermine, their impartiality.