A municipal judge may use court letterhead to write members of a fraternity urging them to join the local chapter.

• A. True
• B. It depends
• C. False
• D. Not addressed

Answer: (C)

Using official court resources to promote a private group undermines the judge’s neutrality and the integrity of the court. Court letterhead is an official tool of the judiciary; sending a letter to fraternity members urging them to join a local chapter would be using that authority to advocate for a private organization. That creates an appearance of endorsement by the court and can be seen as the office taking sides in private matters. The proper approach is to avoid using court resources for private or partisan causes and to limit communications on official stationery to court business, not private memberships. So this action is not appropriate.