WASHINGTON (AP) - A panel of federal judges has found that a bankruptcy judge's membership in a Nashville, Tenn., country club that has no women or blacks as full-fledged members violates the judiciary's code of ethics.
But the panel said Thursday that it is not taking any disciplinary action against Judge George Paine II because he is planning to retire next month.
Paine has belonged to the Belle Meade Country Club since 1978. The club has never had a woman or a black man with membership privileges that include voting and holding office.
The ethics code for federal judges says they should not belong to organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin.
The panel says an earlier decision in favor of Paine was "clearly erroneous."