Committee On Judicial Ethics

August 11, 2021 | New York Law Journal

A judge may not accept a social media company's invitation to address its employees in-house about how legal process is authorized, the use and purpose of the company's records in legal proceedings, and the importance of accuracy and vigilance in response to legal process.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

5 minute read

August 11, 2021 | New York Law Journal

A sitting judge may reach out to individuals in the judge's community who may have appropriate contacts, so that the judge may use those contacts to reveal, discuss and explore the judge's qualifications and interest in appointive judicial office with the appointing authority, political party leaders, and relevant elected officials. However, the judge may not compensate such individuals for their time or assistance with the appointment process.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

4 minute read

August 10, 2021 | New York Law Journal

Where a town justice serves as village attorney for a village which is wholly encompassed within the town where the justice presides, and the village retains a completely independent special prosecutor to handle all village court matters, the vast majority of which involve parking violations, the town justice may continue to serve as village attorney after the village court is abolished. However, the town justice may not preside in cases where the village is a party; if this results in frequent disqualifications, the justice must choose between the positions of town justice and village attorney.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

5 minute read

August 10, 2021 | New York Law Journal

A full-time judge may not offer their services to a congressperson to help establish, and thereafter serve on, a non-partisan service academy review board, which will (a) review the applications of those seeking the congressperson's nomination to one of the service academies, and (b) make recommendations to the congressperson as to who should receive a nomination and in what order.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

3 minute read

August 09, 2021 | New York Law Journal

A full-time judge (1) may contribute case vignettes and legal commentary to a for-profit casebook on mental capacity, provided the vignettes do not disclose parties' names and the commentary is consistent with the public comment rule and other limitations, but (2) may not recommend others to contribute to the casebook.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

6 minute read

August 09, 2021 | New York Law Journal

A part-time lawyer judge may serve as an assistant public defender in another county, but must not preside in any matter where another attorney from the same public defender's office appears.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

2 minute read

August 02, 2021 | New York Law Journal

Provided the judge can be fair and impartial, a judge who was publicly censured by the Commission on Judicial Conduct more than two years ago may preside in matters involving individuals who had testified on the judge's behalf in the disciplinary proceeding. Disclosure is left to the judge's discretion.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

4 minute read

August 02, 2021 | New York Law Journal

A judge may speak at a victim impact panel in a jurisdiction other than that where the judge presides, but when the program is conducted online as a remote or virtual program, the judge must (1) advise the agency that the judge's presentation is solely for program participants and must not be made available to a broader audience and (2) direct the agency to prohibit recording or distribution of the judge's presentation by attendees.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

4 minute read

July 30, 2021 | New York Law Journal

May a judge accept an invitation to speak as a guest lecturer for a criminal justice course offered through the Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES)?

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

2 minute read

July 30, 2021 | New York Law Journal

This Committee, unlike an individual judge, cannot determine the constitutionality of the enabling statute for a school bus stop-arm violation monitoring program nor whether any resulting guidelines, requirements, directives, forms, notifications or advisements emanating from that statute are lawful and thus ethically permissible.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

5 minute read