This pamphlet provides an overview of law clerks’ ethical obligations as well as resources they can consult for further information. It covers topics such as confidentiality, conflicts of interest, political activities, online activities, and gifts, and includes examples that illustrate challenges law clerks may face. It also has an Ethics Checklist for Federal Judicial Law Clerks, which helps law clerks identify ethics problems that may arise.

This 2018 revised edition is no longer available in hard copy. A 2019 revised edition is in preparation to include the new provisions in the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees that were approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States on March 12, 2019. Prepublication orders are being accepted, and will be filled as soon as print copies are available. See Maintaining the Public Trust: Ethics for Federal Judicial Law Clerks, Revised Fourth Edition (2019).