Monika Kozak

March 20, 2024 | New York Law Journal

Must a full-time judge disclose or disqualify in matters involving the city police department where the judge's spouse is employed as a police officer with no supervisory responsibilities? What are the judge's obligations in the event the judge's spouse is promoted to a supervisory position?

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

2 minute read

March 19, 2024 | New York Law Journal

A judge may host an informal event at the courthouse, with light refreshments, to thank and recognize the not-for-profit entities that participate in the court's community service program by permitting defendants to satisfy their community service requirements as part of a negotiated sentence.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

4 minute read

March 18, 2024 | New York Law Journal

Where a court-sponsored committee on racial equality in the courts has been directed to interact with the local community and develop projects that highlight local history, judges on the committee may publicly support an effort to rename a local geographic feature that currently bears a racially offensive name, but must not assume a leadership role in the effort or use judicial or court resources to file the name change application with federal authorities.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

8 minute read

March 17, 2024 | New York Law Journal

After a judge's adult child has been convicted and sentenced, a judge may attend and participate in the child's subsequent parole hearing, provided they do so in the obvious role of a parent and without reference to their judicial status or otherwise invoking the prestige of judicial office.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

7 minute read

March 14, 2024 | New York Law Journal

A judge may not host an event at their home for a federal legislator to discuss national issues with interested community leaders, colleagues, friends, and neighbors.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

4 minute read

March 13, 2024 | New York Law Journal

(1) Where the town court clerk is involved in litigation against their relatives in another court, a town justice need not disclose or disqualify in matters involving the court clerk's attorney and the relatives' attorney, but must insulate the court clerk from such matters. (2) The insulation must continue until the representation completely ends, including payment of outstanding legal fees.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

6 minute read

March 12, 2024 | New York Law Journal

A judge may accept a trade union's offer of a social dinner and overnight accommodations at the union's annual convention for the judge and their spouse, where the union and its members have not come, and are not likely to come, before the judge.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

3 minute read

March 11, 2024 | New York Law Journal

A judicial association may not consent to have its name listed as a client on a consultant's website.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

4 minute read

March 10, 2024 | New York Law Journal

May a full-time judge donate $100 to sponsor an award at a local Independence Day parade organized by a not-for-profit civic entity, where the judge's connection will be announced at the end of the parade and the parade is a non-political, non-fund raising event?

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

2 minute read

March 07, 2024 | New York Law Journal

A judge need not insulate their law clerk from a custody proceeding merely because their law clerk's third-degree relative has a child in common with one of the parties, where the law clerk has no familial connection to any of the parties, witnesses, or subject child in the present proceeding. If the judge chooses to make a disclosure, the judge retains full discretion to preside and permit the law clerk to participate in the matter, whether or not the parties object.

By Committee on Judicial Ethics

5 minute read