Emailing judges and their staff

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.