Definitions

In this chapter: (1) "Appropriate authority" means the chief judge of an offending judge's district, the director of state courts, the judicial commission, and the office of lawyer regulation. (2) "Candidate" means a person seeking selection for or retention of a judicial office by means of election or appointment who makes a public announcement of candidacy, declares or files as a candidate with the election or appointment authority, or authorizes solicitation or acceptance of contributions or support. (3) "Court personnel" means staff, court officials and others subject to the judge's direction and control, including judicial assistants, reporters, law clerks, and bailiffs. "Court personnel" does not include the lawyers in a judicial proceeding. (4) "De minimis" means an insignificant interest that does not raise reasonable question as to a judge's impartiality or use of the prestige of the office. (5) "Economic interest" means ownership of a more than de minimis legal or equitable interest, or a relationship as officer, director, advisor or other active participant in the affairs of a party, except that none of the following is an economic interest: (a) Ownership of an interest in a mutual or common investment fund that holds securities, unless the judge participates in the management of the fund or unless a proceeding pending or impending before the judge could substantially affect the value of the interest. (b) Service by a judge as an officer, director, advisor or other active participant in an educational, religious, charitable, fraternal or civic organization, or service by a judge's spouse or child as an officer, director, advisor or other active participant in any organization. (c) A deposit in a financial institution, the proprietary interest of a policyholder in a mutual insurance company, of a depositor in a mutual savings association or of a member in a credit union, or a similar proprietary interest, unless a proceeding pending or impending before the judge could substantially affect the value of the interest. (d) Ownership of government securities, unless a proceeding pending or impending before the judge could substantially affect the value of the securities. (6) "Fiduciary" means a personal representative, trustee, attorney-in-fact, conservator or guardian. 230 (7) "Gift" means the payment or receipt of anything of value without valuable consideration. (7m) "Impartiality" means the absence of bias or prejudice in favor of, or against, particular parties, or classes of parties, as well as maintaining an open mind in considering issues that may come before the judge. (8) "Judge" means a justice of the supreme court, a judge of the court of appeals, a judge of the circuit court, a reserve judge, a municipal judge, a court commissioner, and anyone, whether or not a lawyer, who is an officer of the judicial system and who performs judicial functions. (8m) "Judge-elect" means a person who has been elected or appointed to judicial office but has not yet taken office. (9) "Knowingly" or "knowledge" means actual knowledge of the fact in question, which may be inferred from the circumstances. (10) "Law" means court rules, statutes, constitutional provisions and legal conclusions in published court decisions. (11) "Member of the judge's family" means the judge's spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent and any other relative or person with whom the judge maintains a close familial relationship. (12) "Member of the judge's family residing in the judge's household" means a relative of the judge by blood or marriage or a person treated by the judge as a member of the judge's family who resides in the judge's household. (13) "Nonpublic information" means information that, by law, is not available to the public, including information that is sealed by statute or court order, impounded or communicated in camera, offered in grand jury proceedings or contained in presentencing reports, dependency case reports or psychiatric reports. (14) "Part-time municipal judge" or "part-time court commissioner" means a judge or court commissioner who serves repeatedly on a part-time basis by election or under a continuing appointment. (15) "Require" means the exercise of reasonable direction and control over the conduct of those persons subject to the directions and control. (16) "Third degree of kinship" means a person who is related as a great-grandparent, grandparent, parent, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, child, grandchild, great-grandchild, nephew or niece. 231