WTF? Judicial candidate Edward Liebling attends Pinellas GOP meeting — a possible violation of Canon 7

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I still can’t believe what I am seeing in these photos that were sent to me.  Is that really judicial candidate Edward Liebling in the crowd at Monday’s meeting of the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee?  Unless I am missing something, which is a total possibility, Liebling is in clear violation of Canon 7 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which clearly states: “except as authorized in Sections 7B(2), 7C(2) and 7C(3), a judge or a candidate for election or appointment to judicial office shall not…(d) attend political party functions.  Yet, there was Liebling, milling about the monthly meeting of the Pinellas GOP.

Now, I believe there is an exception to the rule, allowing judicial candidates to attend political party functions if all judicial candidates are invited to speak, but I do not think that was the case on Monday night at the Pinellas GOP.

I am ready to yank this post if someone can give me a good reason for why Liebling attended this partisan event, otherwise I think he may have some ‘plaining to do.

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Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.