W. Va. Jud. Cond. 3.15

As amended through January 31, 2024

Rule 3.15 - Reporting Requirements

(A) A judge shall publicly report the amount or value of:

(1) compensation received for extrajudicial activities as permitted by Rule 3.12;

(2) gifts and other things of value as permitted by Rule 3.13(C), unless the value of such items, alone or in the aggregate with other items received from the same source in the same calendar year, does not exceed $150; and

(3) reimbursement of expenses and waiver of fees or charges permitted by Rule 3.14(A), unless the amount of reimbursement or waiver, alone or in the aggregate with other reimbursements or waivers received from the same source in the same calendar year, does not exceed $500.

(B) When public reporting is required by paragraph (A), a judge shall report the date, place, and nature of the activity for which the judge received any compensation; the description of any gift, loan, bequest, benefit, or other thing of value accepted; and the source of reimbursement of expenses or waiver or partial waiver of fees or charges.

(C) The public report required by paragraph (A) shall be made annually by July 1 for the preceding calendar year, and must be filed as a public document in the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court of Appeals.

W. Va. Jud. Cond. 3.15

COMMENT

[1] Reporting of expense reimbursement and waiver of fees under Rule 3.15(A)(3) does not apply to events that are paid for by the Supreme Court Administrative Office or through grant funding. Examples include attendance at the West Virginia Judicial Conference, the West Virginia Family Court Judge's Conference, the West Virginia Magistrate's Conference, the Conference of Chief Justices, or attendance at a drug court conference paid by scholarship or grant funding. Reporting of expense reimbursement and waiver of fees under Rule 3.15(A)(3) does not apply to judicial seminars and judicial meetings. Reporting of expense reimbursement and waiver of fees under Rule 3.15(A)(3) applies only to events by nongovernmental entities other than a state or local bar association, a law school, a subject-matter bar association, a judicial association, the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, the Appellate Judges Education Institute, or the National Judicial College.

Clerk's Notes on Rule 3.15

Rule 3.15 is based largely on the 2007 Model Code. The threshold amounts in Paragraphs (A)(2) and (3) are set at $150 and $500 respectively. The reporting requirements of the Model Rule were modified to require annual reporting. The Comment is new, and is intended to provide specific guidance to West Virginia judges in reporting expense reimbursement and waiver of fees.