Communications with a judge or other decision-maker that occur in the
absence of the other party breach fundamental principles of fairness and can
easily create a reasonable apprehension of bias. While many legal traditions
and rules of court work against one-sided communications, the ease of
communication in the information age makes it easier for parties to
communicate directly with judges and their staff and to do so to the exclusion
of other parties. This article examines the principles governing such
problems and those cases which have considered the effect of one-sided or
ex parte contact in the form of emails.