By Order dated February 11, 2026, published at 56 Pa.B.1104 (2/28/2026), the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania adopted Rule 222 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Disciplinary Enforcement, governing the commencement and conclusion of judicial service, and amended Rules 102, 201, and 219 of the Enforcement Rules.
Rule 102, Definitions, is amended to add three new definitions. A ‘‘Former judicial officer’’ is “a judicial officer who is no longer engaged in judicial service.” A ‘‘Judicial officer’’ is defined as “a justice, judge, or magisterial district judge in the Commonwealth, or the equivalent position in another jurisdiction, who is an attorney admitted to the bar of this Commonwealth. This term includes a judicial officer who is on a senior status or is certified for recall service.” ‘‘Judicial service’’ consists of “service as a judicial officer.”
The amendment to Rule 201, Jurisdiction, clarifies that the disciplinary jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the Board under the Enforcement Rules extends to: (1) any former judicial officer with respect to acts that occurred while a judicial officer and that would have been grounds for lawyer discipline; and (2) any judicial officer with respect to acts during the practice of law that constitute the violation of ethical rules.
Former Rule 219(j), Annual Registration and Assessment, Judge Status, is deleted in its entirety and replaced by a new Rule 222, Commencement and Conclusion of Judicial Service. The new rule applies to attorneys who are ascending the bench and to all jurists who are concluding their judicial service. The rule covers required notifications to the Attorney Registration Office, assignment to judge status, and procedures to allow eligible jurists to assume active, inactive or retired license status upon conclusion of judicial service. The new rule requires judicial officers concluding their judicial service to identify if they are the “subject of an adverse circumstance” at the conclusion of service. The rule defines “adverse circumstance” as any of the following: judicial suspension; removal from office by order, impeachment, or other form of adverse action; a pending investigation, prosecution, or removal proceedings for misconduct or disability.