United States law requires federal judges to withdraw from any lawsuit in which they have any financial interest. But a study by The Kansas City Star shows that federal judges in Kansas City and elsewhere repeatedly have presided over lawsuits involving companies in which they hold stock. This two-part special report was published April 5 and 6, 1998. Click here to read updates on issues raised in the study.

Part 1
April 5, 1998

• Stocks and ethics
  collide in courtroom

• Judicial ethics law
  contains few loopholes

• Most area federal judges
  have owned stock in litigants

• Position held at hospital
  poses different problem

• KC not alone
  in seeing problem cases

  Part 2
  April 6, 1998

• Judges escape
  public scrutiny on ethics

• 'Immunity from mistakes'
  disgusts former litigants

• Finding out more

• Web resources:
  Understanding the judiciary

  ---

  Updates

• Congress to keep pushing for federal judges to disclose assets

• Nation's top judges approve conflict of interest reforms

• Bar association to vote on plan to reform financial disclosure rules

• Nation's top judges agree to ethics reforms

• Judicial Conference
  approves reforms
  on conflict of interest, disclosure

• Judges didn't report trips sponsored by foundation

• Conflicts disappear in flawed reports

• Few law firms review judges' disclosure reports, records show

• Jackson County judges make asset lists more readily accessible

• Federal judges vow to investigate ethical violations in judiciary

• Senators calling for high-level action to prevent judiciary ethics violations

• Federal judges to provide lists of assets directly to public

• U.S. Judicial Conference urges judges to obey ethics laws

• Federal judge files a new financial disclosure form

• Appeals count judge wants action on conflicts of interest

• Two seek inquiry into federal judges' conflicts of interest