CPA - Competing Pipers Association

JCJ Code of Recommended Practice for Judges

1. Confidentiality
   Judges have a collective responsibility in the decisions of the bench. They should be loyal to their fellow judges, even when they disagree.
2. Conflicts of Interest
   1. Judges should not judge close relatives (e.g. father, son, daughter etc), teachers, or pupils recently under instruction (individual instruction on a regular and frequent basis within the preceding 12 months, or individual instruction during that period on tunes set for the competition to be judged), and accordingly, where they have such an interest,
      1. They should inform the competition organiser of their interest in one or more of the competitors (where known) before accepting the invitation to judge;
      2. They should consider whether it is appropriate to accept the invitation to judge, having regard to the number and nature of the interests to be declared and the nature of the competition (local games, principal indoor events, set tune competitions), and
      3. They should not officiate as the sole judge, save in exceptional circumstances (e.g. no other judge available).
   2. Not withstanding, judges must declare to their fellow judges, at the start of a competition, any interest they have in competitors. They should not select the tune to be played by any such competitor.
3. Tunes of Even Weight
   Judges should seek to ensure that tunes of broadly equivalent weight are chosen to be played.
4. Influence
   Judges should not attempt to influence other members of the bench either for or against a particular competitor, until all competitors have played. There should be no formal discussion of performances until the end of the competition.
5. Fraternisation
   Meetings and discussions between judges and competitors after a contest should be conducted within the bounds of good manners, on both sides.
6. Willingness to Judge With Others
   Competition promoters are entitled to expect that a judge on the Joint Committee list will be prepared to judge with any other judge on the list, and accordingly judges should fulfil that expectation. A judge should seek to ensure that competition promoters are not inconvenienced by any exceptional difficulty, personal to the judge, which may lead him to decline to judge with any other judge on the list. Accordingly, at the time they are invited to judge, judges should indicate to competition promoters any particular difficulty in judging with another judge.
7. Complaints
   Any complaint by a judge against a fellow judge (whether relating to competence, conduct or other) shall be notified only to the chairman of the Joint Committee, who shall decide what interim action (if any) is appropriate. The chairman shall refer the complaint to the Joint Committee.

Rules

1. Confidentiality
   Members shall have due regard to the sensitivity of their deliberations in respect of the competence and conduct of judges and in respect of complaints. They shall treat all such deliberations as confidential, save for -
   1. the communication to the bodies they represent of the list of judges, as reviewed from time to time;
   2. Such other information as shall have the prior approval of the committee and subject to such conditions as the committee may decide.
2. Protocol for Dealings With the Press
   Members shall avoid communicating with the press in respect of the business of the committee and matters related thereto.
   Representatives of the press should be referred to the Chairman, who shall make or issue statements on behalf of the committee.