Judge accepting the frog piece as a gift

After the army doctor testifies, they go in the judge’a chambers. James Stewart and the judge have a one-on-one banter about frogs, and Stewart gives the judge a gift.

Anyone thought that was really unprofessional conduct by the judge? Just felt a little ex-parte, the way he had that dialogue with Stewart, with the prosecutors just sitting there watching. And the gift could, in some way, be interpreted as a bribe