CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has set a public hearing for Dec. 5 in the capital to consider a proposal by Washoe County District Judge Brent Adams to put a buffer between judges and judicial candidates and the business of raising money for their political campaigns.

Adams in July filed with the state Supreme Court a proposal to amend the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct to prohibit the personal solicitation and acceptance of campaign contributions by judges and judicial candidates. Instead, judges and candidates would use committees to perform the task of raising and collecting money for campaigns.

The proposal is verbatim language from the Model Judicial Code of the American Bar Association passed in 1990.

In an interview in July, Adams said: "I think it is time to get judges and judicial candidates out of the money game."

The simple rule change could be made by the Supreme Court at any time, allowing it to be implemented quickly, he said. Other proposals, such as changing the method of selecting judges, would require a change to the constitution that would take several years to accomplish, he said.

"I think with the recent news articles demonstrating the dangerous role of money in judicial politics it's a good time for the leaders of our legal system to bring an end to it," Adams said.