Chief Justice Pulls Plug on his Web Site
Fair Courts E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Tracy Breton and Paul Edward Parker
Source: Providence Journal
Date: 2/19/2005
Article reports that Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank J. Williams _took down a personal Web site through which he had been soliciting paid speaking engagements._ In an email to the media, Justice Williams wrote that he was removing his site _because I am concerned that it has generated unnecessary public attention which may detract from the good work consistently being done by the Rhode Island Judiciary._ The Providence Journal ran a front-page article about the site on February 10, 2005 and a column criticizing the judge on February 13. State Rep. James F. Davey (R.) also sent Justice Williams a letter asking him to _reconsider_ the appropriateness of his website in light of _principles established by the Code of Judicial Conduct._ The site informed visitors about the Justice_s many interests, _from Doberman pinschers and cooking to Abraham Lincoln and the law,_ and included laudatory quotes about the Justice and many pictures of him. There were also instructions for how to book Justice Williams, a Lincoln scholar, for speaking engagements.