The Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics responds to written inquiries from New York state's approximately 3,600 judges and justices, as well as hundreds of judicial hearing officers, support magistrates, court attorney-referees, and judicial candidates (both judges and non-judges seeking election to judicial office). The committee interprets the Rules Governing Judicial Conduct (22 NYCRR Part 100) and, to the extent applicable, the Code of Judicial Conduct. The committee consists of 27 current and retired judges, and is co-chaired by the Honorable Margaret Walsh, a justice of the supreme court, and the Honorable Lillian Wan, a court of claims judge and acting supreme court justice.

Digest: An appellate division justice who learns that a law firm's website features screen shots and video of the court's oral arguments, in which the court's justices are visible and readily identifiable, must ask the law firm to remove them. The court may, in its discretion, post a notice on its own website advising that images and videos of the court's justices shown on the court's website or otherwise may not be used to advance private interests or in furtherance of any commercial purpose.  The court and its justices need not monitor lawyer websites but upon learning of any such misuse in the future, a justice should object and request that the offending images be removed.

Rules: 22 NYCRR 100.2; 100.2(A); 100.2(C); 100.4(D)(3); Opinions 20-80; 18-126; 17-78; 15-19; 12-62/12-69; 12-61; 11-35; 03-92.