Committee On Judicial Ethics

July 05, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A family court judge may not accept an appointment to the Judicial Leadership Council of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litem Association for Children nor permit the organization to "promote" the judge on social media and its website.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

7 minute read

July 04, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A full-time judge may attend a law firm's online "launch party" hosted by an attorney and law firm who do not appear before the judge.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

3 minute read

June 30, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A judge may disclose the judge's own preferred gender pronouns in the judge's email signature block and during a virtual proceeding in which the judge presides.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

3 minute read

June 29, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A part-time town justice may serve as "Judge Advocate" for the American Legion.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

4 minute read

June 28, 2022 | New York Law Journal

Where it is legally appropriate to do so, a judge may broadly solicit participation by potential amici curiae by issuing a notice to the bar that will be (a) electronically filed, (b) sent to the New York Law Journal for publication and (c) sent to bar associations and/or committees. Any such notice must be consistent with generally applicable limitations on judicial speech and conduct, including the judge's obligation to maintain public confidence in the judge's impartiality, integrity, and independence.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

5 minute read

June 27, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A full-time judge (1) may hold shares in a family-held limited liability company that owns real estate, and participate in management of the company's real estate investment, but (2) must not manage, operate, or otherwise actively participate in a family-held bar business that operates on the company's real estate.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

7 minute read

June 26, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A judge who receives a message from another judge asking them to consider a fine for an acquaintance lower than the fine the prosecutor is recommending must report the other judge to the Commission on Judicial Conduct.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

4 minute read

June 22, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A judge may attend a local "Survivors Group," composed of domestic violence victims, to better understand the difficulties encountered by victims of domestic violence, so long as no member of the group is a victim or witness in a matter currently pending before the judge.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

7 minute read

June 21, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A new part-time judge who previously represented clients as a non- supervisory assistant public defender: (a) is permanently disqualified, without the possibility of remittal, in any case where the judge previously participated as an attorney and (b) is disqualified, subject to remittal, from all matters involving their former clients, for two years after the attorney-client relationship completely ends.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

6 minute read

June 20, 2022 | New York Law Journal

A judge may accept a law firm's offer of pro bono representation for the purpose of filing a lawsuit to challenge the Unified Court System's vaccine mandates, where the law firm has not come and is not likely to come before the judge, subject to a reporting requirement if the value of the waived legal fees exceeds $150. The judge, however, may not disseminate a blanket email to all judges asking if any are interested in joining the proposed lawsuit.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

6 minute read