Before stepping down as Chief Judge of the Fed. Cir. on May 30th, Judge Rader had sent a letter to his colleagues on the court apologizing for sending an email to an attorney who had appeared before the court a number of times, praising his work and encouraging him to circulate the email to his associates. (A copy of the letter is available at the end of this post.) The letter was dated May 23, 2014, and was clear about the error of his ways:

“I realize in retrospect that the email constituted a breach of the ethical obligation not to lend the prestige of the judicial office to advance the private interests of others. I apologize for that error, which may have led to the perception that the attorney in question was in a position to influence me in my performance of judicial duties….Working with the court, I have taken steps to remedy the breaches for which I was responsible by recusing in cases as to which a question might be raised as to my impartiality. I am committed to adhering carefully to the requirements of the Code of Conduct for United States judges in making any necessary recusal decisions. I am truly sorry for the lapse and will work diligently to ensure that it does not recur….”

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