(1) Judicial officers are not subject to the provisions of this rule, but shall be subject to the gift provisions of the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct.(2) Except as otherwise provided in this rule, an employee of the judicial branch or a member of that person's immediate family shall not, directly or indirectly, accept, receive or solicit any gift or series of gifts.(3) As used in this rule: a. "Employee " means any employee of the judicial branch other than a judicial officer subj ect to the gift provisions of the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct.b. "Gift" means a rendering of anything of value in return for which legal consideration of equal or greater value is not given or received, if the donor is: (1) A party or other person involved in a case pending before the donee.(2) A party or a person seeking to be a party to any sale, purchase, lease or contract involving the judicial branch or any of its offices, if the donee has authority to approve the sale, purchase, lease or contract, or if the donee assists or advises the person with authority to approve the sale, purchase, lease or contract.(3) A person who will be directly or substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the donee's official duties in a way that is greater than the effect on the public generally or on a substantial class of persons to which the donor belongs as a member of a profession, occupation, industry or region.c. "Gift" does not include: (1) Informational material relevant to the employee's duties, such as books, pamphlets, reports, documents or periodicals, or the cost of registration for an education conference or seminar which is relevant to the employee's duties.(2) Anything received from a person related within the fourth degree of kinship or marriage, unless the donor is acting as an agent or intermediary for another person not so related.(3) An inheritance or bequest.(4) Anything available or distributed to the public generally without regard to the official status of the recipient.(5) Actual expenses of a donee for food, beverages, travel, and lodging, which is given in return for participation at a meeting as a speaker, panel member or facilitator, when the expenses relate directly to the day or days on which the donee participates at the meeting, including necessary travel time.(6) Plaques or items of negligible resale value given as recognition for public service.(7) Nonmonetary items with a value of $3 or less that are received from any one donor during one calendar day.(8) Items or services solicited by or given to a state, national or regional organization in which the state of Iowa or a political subdivision of the state is a member.(9) Items or services received as part of a regularly scheduled event that is part of a conference, seminar or other meeting that is sponsored and directed by any state, national or regional organization in which the judicial branch is a member.(10) Funeral flowers or memorials to a church or nonprofit organization.(11) Gifts which are given to an employee for the employee's wedding or twenty-fifth or fiftieth wedding anniversary.d."Immediate family " means the spouse and minor children of an employee of the judicial branch. (4) For purposes of determining the value of an item, an individual who gives an item on behalf of more than one person shall not divide the value of the item by the number of persons on whose behalf the item is given and the value shall be the value actually received by the donee.(5) An employee of the judicial branch or the person's immediate family member, may accept a nonmonetary gift or a series of nonmonetary gifts and not be in violation of this rule if the nonmonetary gift or series of nonmonetary gifts is donated within 30 days to a public body, the state court administrator, the department of general services, or a bona fide educational or charitable organization, if no part of the net earnings of the educational or charitable organization inures to the benefit of any private stockholder or other individual.Court Order June 30, 1980; July 31, 1987, effective 8/3/1987; 12/29/1992, effective 1/1/1993; 8/19/1993; 11/9/2001, effective 2/15/2002; 4/30/2010, effective 5/3/2010.