Do judicial clerks have CLE obligations?

No — judges in Massachusetts do not have a separate, mandatory CLE requirement apart from general attorney education norms.

Massachusetts does not impose a mandatory CLE for attorneys; judges may participate in Judicial Education programs, but those are not required under a distinct CLE mandate.

Details

• The Massachusetts Bar Association confirms that Massachusetts does not maintain a mandatory CLE regime for attorneys.
• Because there is no required CLE for attorneys statewide, there is no parallel, separate CLE requirement for judges in Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts’s Judicial Education program offers training and ethics guidance for judges, but it functions on a discretionary or policy basis rather than under a binding credit mandate.
• The Judicial Ethics FAQs for Massachusetts reference ethics obligations but do not state a continuing legal education credit mandate for judges.

Key Takeaway

In Massachusetts, judges are not subject to a separate mandatory CLE requirement — only discretionary Judicial Education applies, because the state does not enforce CLE for attorneys.

Yes — Wyoming imposes a separate continuing judicial education (CJE) requirement for judges, distinct from the CLE requirements for attorneys.

Each judge or justice must complete at least 15 hours of accredited judicial education every year under Wyoming’s Rules for Continuing Judicial Education.

Details

• The “Rules for Continuing Judicial Education” require a minimum of 15 hours of accredited CJE annually for each judge or justice.
• Wyoming’s attorney CLE regime, by contrast, requires attorneys to complete 15 hours per calendar year (including 2 hours of ethics) under the Wyoming State Bar CLE rules.
• The judicial education obligation is administered by the Wyoming Courts system, separate from the Bar’s CLE processes.

Key Takeaway

Judges in Wyoming must comply with a distinct judicial education mandate (15 annual judicial education hours), separate from the CLE requirement imposed on attorneys.

Yes — judges in Wisconsin are subject to a distinct judicial education (CJE / JE) requirement that operates alongside, and separate from, the CLE obligations for attorneys.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule Chapter 32 establishes a continuing judicial education program that requires justices, appellate judges, circuit judges, commissioners, and municipal judges to earn credits over multi-year periods.

Details

• Under SCR Chapter 32, circuit court judges must attend the Wisconsin Judicial College at least once in every six-year term.
• The Office of Judicial Education administers the system: justices, appellate judges, circuit court judges and circuit court commissioners must earn 60 credits of approved judicial education during each six-year period.
• Reserve judges, municipal judges, and circuit court commissioners have analogous continuing judicial education requirements.
• The attorney CLE regime under SCR Chapter 31 requires attorneys (not judges) to complete 30 hours in a two-year period.
• Judicial education credits are tracked, approved, and reported separately from attorney CLE credits via the Judicial Education Office.

Key Takeaway

In Wisconsin, judges must satisfy a separate continuing judicial education program (60 credits per six years, plus orientation and periodic Judicial College attendance), distinct from the statewide CLE requirement imposed on attorneys.

Rhode Island attorneys must complete 10 CLE credit hours each year. That includes at least 2 hours in legal ethics and, starting July 1, 2025, 1 hour in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Annual CLE Requirements in Rhode Island

• Total requirement: 10 credit hours per reporting year
• Ethics requirement: 2 credit hours
• DEI requirement: 1 credit hour (effective July 1, 2025)
• Minimum live credit: 4 credit hours
• Maximum video replay/distance learning: 6 credit hours
• Reporting deadline: June 30 annually

Carryover & Exemptions

• Up to 10 excess live credits may carry forward one year
• Ethics credits in excess may also be carried over
• Newly admitted attorneys are exempt from the CLE requirement during the reporting year they are admitted and the next full reporting year; they must complete a “Bridge the Gap” program

Key Takeaway: Rhode Island requires 10 CLE hours each year, including 2 in ethics, 1 in DEI (from July 2025), with minimum live credits, limited carryover, and a Bridge the Gap requirement for new attorneys.

Yes — Pennsylvania requires that 6 of the 12 annual CLE credits be earned via “live-online or in-person/classroom” formats (i.e. synchronous or live courses). The remaining 6 credits may come from prerecorded (asynchronous) distance learning courses, subject to the Board’s limits.

Pennsylvania CLE Format Rules

• Total requirement: 12 credit hours annually, including at least 2 in ethics, professionalism, or substance abuse.
• Live-credit requirement: 6 credits must be live-online or in-person/classroom courses.
• Distance learning cap: Up to 6 credits may be earned through accredited prerecorded/asynchronous programs.
• Carryover: Only credits earned via live (in-person or live-online) courses may carry forward to future compliance periods.

Key Takeaway: In Pennsylvania, attorneys must earn half of their CLE credits through live formats (in-person or synchronous webcasts), and only the other half may be from prerecorded courses — in-person attendance is not required as long as the format is live.

Yes — judges in West Virginia are subject to a separate Continuing Judicial Education (CJE) requirement distinct from attorney CLE.
The CJE program is administered by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia through the Administrative Office and applies specifically to judicial officers.

Under Rule 7 of the Rules of Judicial Disciplinary Procedure, every full-time judge must complete a minimum of 50 hours of approved judicial education every two years. These hours must include instruction in judicial ethics, substantive law, and other areas essential to judicial competence. The Administrative Director of the Courts oversees compliance and may grant extensions or waivers for good cause.

Summary of Judicial Education Obligations

Key Takeaway

Judges in West Virginia must complete 50 hours of Continuing Judicial Education every two years under the Supreme Court’s judicial disciplinary rules, separate from the attorney CLE system.