US Judges Warned: Don’t Accept Some Discounted Club Memberships
The University Club’s discounted club memberships for federal judges—offered, apparently as a way around a federal ban on honorary club memberships worth more than $50—are also likely verboten.
A memo issued yesterday by the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct said judges should not accept a discounted membership “offered to a very limited group selected by the club to enhance its reputation,” the National Law Journal reports.
Members of the University Club in Washington, D.C., who are over age 35 typically pay $3,400 a year. But a new public service membership category gave judges and justices who previously had free memberships a big price break: Dues were only $588 a year. ABAJournal.com reported on the sweet deal in March and included comments from observers who were troubled by the arrangement.
The University Club is not specifically mentioned in the memo, but the club’s discount appears to be ruled out by the conduct committee, the NLJ story says.
The codes of conduct committee did acknowledge that judges could in some circumstances accept discounted memberships aimed at broad occupational categories. The memo also indicated free memberships are still allowed for judges belonging to service clubs like the Rotary and bar organizations such as the Inns of Court, the story says.
