At some level each judge must make your own decision regarding use of social media. If you decide never to use social media that surely is ethical. But what if you decide to participate in social media? The Canadian Judicial Council has released updated guidelines for federal judges using social media, outlining advice on the content they post, how they identify themselves on social media platforms, burner accounts, whom they connect with, and what platforms they post on.

The guidelines are a substantial expansion of the recommendations provided in the most recent edition of the Ethical Principles for Judges, the CJC’s framework for ideal judicial conduct, which briefly warns judges to be mindful of how the public will perceive their social media conduct.