The Polish Supreme Court – Disciplinary Court held that the high standards of judicial expression also apply to private electronic communications. A judge had sent abusive emails to his ex-wife and son, containing rude and derogatory remarks and the ex-wife – herself a judge – initiated proceedings before the disciplinary jurisdiction. The Court analysed the national and regional standards on privacy and the right to communicate, concluding that they must, however, be balanced with the need to ensure high standards of judicial conduct. The Court found that the judge had undermined the judicial office and so had committed a minor disciplinary offence but also found mitigating factors which justified the conclusion that the penalty be waived.