Ohio Jud. Cond. R. 2.2
A judge shall uphold and apply the law, and shall perform all duties of judicial office fairly and impartially.
Ohio. Jud. Cond. R. 2.2
Comment
[1] To ensure impartiality and fairness to all parties, a judge must be objective and open-minded.
[2] Although each judge comes to the bench with a unique background and personal philosophy, a judge must interpret and apply the law without regard to whether the judge approves or disapproves of the law in question.
[3] When applying and interpreting the law, a judge sometimes may make good-faith errors of fact or law. Errors of this kind do not violate this rule.
[4] To ensure self-represented litigants the opportunity to have their matters fairly heard, a judge may make reasonable accommodations to a self-represented litigant consistent with the law. See also Rule 2.6, Comment [1A].
Comparison to Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct
Rule 2.2 is comparable to Ohio Canons 3(B)(2) and (B)(5). Canon 3(B)(2) specifies a judge's duty to be competent in the law and avoid being swayed by outside influences, and the first sentence of Canon 3(B)(5) requires a judge to perform judicial duties without bias or prejudice. By contrast, Rule 2.2 addresses these duties in terms of a judge's responsibility to uphold and apply the law and perform all judicial duties fairly and impartially. Avoiding external influences and maintaining competency are addressed by Rules 2.4 and 2.5, respectively.
Comparison to ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct
Rule 2.2 is the same as Model Rule 2.2. Comment [4] is modified to be consistent with Ohio law concerning a judge's duties toward self-represented litigants.