What are the three objectives of the Commission on Judicial Conduct?

• A. Increase funding for court buildings; hire more clerks; expand training.
• B. Preserve the integrity of all judges in the State; ensure public confidence in the judiciary; encourage judges to maintain high standards of both professional and personal conduct.
• C. Promote partisan elections; reduce judicial tenure; lower salaries.
• D. Enforce mandatory retirement age; expand notice; publish monthly reports.

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is the purpose of a Commission on Judicial Conduct: to uphold the ethics and behavior of judges so the public can trust the judiciary. The best choice captures that mission in three precise goals. First, preserving the integrity of all judges in the state emphasizes maintaining honest, fair, and unbiased conduct among those who judge cases. Second, ensuring public confidence in the judiciary highlights the need for accountability and transparency so people believe the system is fair. Third, encouraging judges to maintain high standards of both professional and personal conduct underlines that ethics apply both in courtroom decision-making and in personal behavior that reflects on the judiciary as a whole. Together, these objectives describe a body focused on ethics, accountability, and trust.

The other options don’t fit that core mandate. They describe funding, staffing, training, political influences, or retirement and reporting practices—issues that are about administration or policy rather than the ethical standards and public trust central to judicial conduct.