Which statement about Christmas cards or jokes is true?

• A. A municipal judge may make listening to dirty jokes a condition of employment for a court clerk.
• B. A municipal judge may request the clerk to address the judge's Christmas cards during work hours.
• C. A municipal judge may not require personal matters as a condition of employment.
• D. A municipal judge may use court letterhead to send Christmas cards.

Answer: (C)

This question hinges on whether a judge can condition employment on personal, private matters. The best rule is that employment should be based on qualifications and job duties, not on private preferences or personal matters. Requiring an employee to engage in or tolerate personal matters—like listening to inappropriate humor or handling the judge’s personal Christmas cards—creates coercion, potential harassment, and distractions from official duties, which isn’t permissible in a court setting. That’s why the statement that a municipal judge may not require personal matters as a condition of employment is the correct one.

For context, other scenarios describe what would also be improper in practice: making an employee listen to dirty jokes as a condition of employment uses private, inappropriate content to govern work; asking a clerk to attend to personal Christmas cards during work hours diverts official time to private tasks; and using court letterhead to send personal cards misuses official resources. All of these illustrate why employment decisions must remain tied to job-related criteria rather than personal matters.