Editing Juris Doctor (section)

==Use of the title "doctor"==
Since at least the 1920s, it has been contrary to custom in the United States to address holders of the JD as "doctor".<ref>
{{cite journal
 |first=A.L. |last=Crabbe
 |date=March 1925
 |title=Who is a doctor?
 |journal=Peabody Journal of Education
 |volume=2 |issue=5 |pages=268–273
 |doi=10.1080/01619562509534672 |jstor=1487677
}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |first=Robert
 |last=Hickey
 |title=How to address an attorney or lawyer in the United States
 |publisher=Protocol School of Washington
 |url=http://www.formsofaddress.info/attorney.html
 |access-date=18 September 2016
 |archive-date=9 May 2011
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509015314/http://www.formsofaddress.info/attorney.html
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref>

In the late 1960s, the rising number of American law schools awarding JDs led to debate over whether lawyers could ethically use the title "doctor". Initial informal ethics opinions, based on the ''Canons of Professional Ethics'' then in force, came down against this.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |title=Summaries of informal opinions of the Standing Committee on Professional Ethics
 |date=July 1968
 |journal=American Bar Association Journal
 |volume=54 |issue=7 |page=657
 |jstor=25724462
 |quote=1001. A lawyer holding a J.D. degree may not ethically use, either orally or in print, the title 'doctor' professionally or socially.
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite journal
 |title= Summaries of informal opinions of the Standing Committee on Professional Ethics
 |date=June 1969
 |journal=American Bar Association Journal
 |volume=55 |issue=6 |page=589
 |jstor=25724818}}
</ref> These were then reinforced with an ABA ethics opinion that maintained the ban on using the title in legal practice (except when dealing with countries where the use of "doctor" by lawyers was standard practice) but allowed the use of the title in academia "if the school of graduation thinks of the JD degree as a doctor's degree".<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last1=Boodell |first1=Thomas J.       |last2=Carson    |first2=C.A.
 |last3=Gates   |first3=Benton E.       |last4=Joiner    |first4=Charles W.
 |last5=McAlpin |first5=Kirk M.         |last6=Myers     |first6=Samuel P.
 |last7=Sperry  |first7=Floyd B.        |last8=Armstrong |first8=Walter P.
 |journal=American Bar Association Journal
 |date=May 1969
 |title=Opinions of the Committee on Professional Ethics
 |volume=55 |issue=5 |pages=451–453
 |jstor=25724785
}}
</ref> The opinion generated much debate.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=25724845|journal=American Bar Association Journal|date=July 1969|title= The Juris "Doctor"—A Question of Ethics?|volume= 55|issue= 7|author=David Hittner|pages=663–665}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |jstor=25724927|journal=American Bar Association Journal|date=October 1969|title= Don't Call Me Doctor|volume= 55|issue= 10|author=William H. Shields|pages= 960–963}}</ref>

The introduction of the 1969 ''Code of Professional Responsibility'' settled the question in favour of allowing the use of the title in states where the code was adopted.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last1=Hillsberg |first1=Richard W.    |last2=McGiffert |first2=David E.
 |last3=Herbert   |first3=Williard A.   |last4=Lansdowne |first4=Robert J.
 |last5=Hyatt     |first5=Hudson        |last6=Chandler  |first6=Kent
 |last7=Pederson  |first7=Virgil L.     |last8=Bodkin    |first8=Henry G.
 |last9=Marks     |first9=Edward        |last10=Wasby    |first10=Stephen L.
 |last11=Kandt    |first11=William C.   |last12=Taylor   |first12=Herman E.
 |last13=Berall   |first13=Frank S.     |last14=Collins  |first14=Hugh B.
 |last15=Barr     |first15=J.E.         |last16=Mellor   |first16=Phillip
 |last17=Hittner  |first17=David        |last18=Turnbull |first18=Frederick W.
 |last19=Adams    |first19=Paul         |last20=Widman   |first20=Joel L.
 |last21=Tollett  |first21=Kenneth S.
 |date=November 1969
 |title=Views of our readers
 |series=Editor's note
 |journal=American Bar Association Journal
 |volume=55 |issue=11 |page=1024
 |jstor=25724947
}}
</ref> There was some dispute over whether only the PhD-level [[Doctor of Juridical Science]] grant the title,<ref>
{{cite journal
 |first=S.C. |last=Yuter
 |date=August 1971
 |title=Revisiting the 'doctor' debate
 |journal=American Bar Association Journal
 |volume=57 |issue=8 |pages=790–892
 |jstor=25725564
}}
</ref> but ethics opinions have read the ''Code'' as allowing JD-holders to be called 'doctor', while acknowledging that the older ''Canons'' did not.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |title=Summaries of informal opinions of the Standing Committee on Professional Ethics
 |date=August 1970
 |journal=American Bar Association Journal
 |volume=56 |issue=8 |page=750
 |jstor=25725213
}}
</ref>

As not all state bars adopted the new code, and some omitted the clause permitting the use of the title, confusion over whether lawyers could ethically use the title "doctor" continued.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |author=Kathleen Maher
 |date=November 2006
 |title=Lawyers are doctors, too: But there is no clear ethics rule on whether they may say so
 |journal=American Bar Association Journal
 |volume=92 |issue= 11 |page=24
 |jstor=27846360
}}
</ref> While many state bars now allow the use of the title, some prohibit its use where there is any chance of confusing the public about a lawyer's actual qualifications (e.g. if the public might believe the lawyer is a doctor of medicine).<ref>{{cite magazine
 |author=S.A.P.
 |date=1 March 2013
 |title=Trust me, I'm a doctor of law
 |series=(Samuel) Johnson
 |type=blog
 |magazine=[[The Economist]]
 |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2013/03/professional-titles
 |access-date=13 July 2017
 |archive-date=1 July 2017
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701141822/http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2013/03/professional-titles
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref> There has been discussion on whether it is permissible in some other limited instances. For example, in June 2006, the [[Florida Bar Association|Florida Bar]] Board of Governors ruled that a lawyer could refer to himself as a "doctor en leyes" (doctor in laws) in a Spanish-language advertisement, reversing an earlier decision.<ref>{{cite news
 |first=Gary
 |last=Blankenship
 |title=Debate over 'doctor of law' title continues
 |date=1 July 2006
 |newspaper=The Florida Bar News
 |publisher=[[Florida Bar Association]]
 |url=https://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNnews01.nsf/Articles/7CA2D2C795627B038525719A0047170E
 |access-date=18 September 2016
 |archive-date=10 January 2017
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110104134/https://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNnews01.nsf/Articles/7CA2D2C795627B038525719A0047170E
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref> The decision was reversed again the following month, when the board voted to only allow the use of untranslated names of degrees.<ref>{{cite news
 |first=Gary
 |last=Blankenship
 |date=15 August 2006
 |title=Bar board settles 'Dr. of Law' debate
 |newspaper=The Florida Bar News
 |publisher=[[Florida Bar Association]]
 |url=http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/Articles/E568F349EA03E82C852571C40052C818
 |access-date=18 September 2016
 |archive-date=10 January 2017
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110104034/http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/Articles/E568F349EA03E82C852571C40052C818
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref>

''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' notes specifically in its stylebook that "Lawyers, despite their JD degrees, aren't called ''doctor''."<ref>{{cite book
 |first=Paul
 |last=Martin
 |date=15 June 2010
 |title=The Wall Street Journal Guide to Business Style and Us
 |page=72
 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]]
 |isbn=978-1-4391-2269-3
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3mjxg9iNAQUC&pg=PA72
 |via=Google Books
 |access-date=1 November 2020
 |archive-date=9 April 2023
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409145147/https://books.google.com/books?id=3mjxg9iNAQUC&pg=PA72
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref> Many other newspapers reserve the title for physicians only<ref>{{cite news
 |first=Robin
 |last=Abcarian
 |date=2 February 2009
 |title=Hi, I'm Jill. Jill Biden. But please, call me Dr.&nbsp;Biden
 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]
 |department=National
 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-02-na-dr-jill-biden2-story.html
 |quote=Newspapers, including [[The Los Angeles Times|the Times]], generally do not use the honorific 'Dr.' unless the person in question has a medical degree.
 |access-date=2 May 2017
 |archive-date=22 October 2018
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022133118/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/02/nation/na-dr-jill-biden2
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref> or do not use titles at all.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Why doesn't the Times call Condi 'Dr.&nbsp;Rice'?
 |date=27 December 2000
 |website=Slate
 |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2000/12/why_doesnt_the_times_call_condi_dr_rice.html
 |access-date=1 May 2017
 |quote=Most newspapers dispense with such formalities and on second reference call people only by their last names.
 |archive-date=24 January 2017
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170124231616/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2000/12/why_doesnt_the_times_call_condi_dr_rice.html
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref> In 2011, [[Mother Jones (magazine)|''Mother Jones'']] published an article claiming that [[Michele Bachmann]] was misrepresenting her qualifications by using the "bogus" title "Dr." based on her JD. They later amended the article to note that the use of the title by lawyers "is a (begrudgingly) accepted practice in some states and not in others", although they maintained that it was rarely used as it "suggests that you're a medical doctor or a Ph.D. – and therefore conveys a false level of expertise."<ref>{{cite magazine
 |first=Tim
 |last=Murphy
 |date=18 August 2011
 |title=Michele Bachmann is not a doctor
 |magazine=Mother Jones
 |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/michele-bachmann-not-doctor-phd
 |access-date=9 July 2018
 |archive-date=9 July 2018
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709094526/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/michele-bachmann-not-doctor-phd/
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref>