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: A judge is not disqualified when the assistant town attorney appears before the judge, even if the attorney obtains the party's endorsement and becomes a candidate for non-judicial office on the judge's slate.

Rules: Judiciary Law § 14; 22 NYCRR 100.2; 100.2(A); 100.3(E)(1); 100.3(E)(1)(a)-(f); 100.5(A)(1)(e); 100.5(A)(2)(iii); Opinions 13-97; 11-125; 11-76; 11-13; 00-78/00-80; 92-82; 89-87; People v. Moreno, 70 NY2d 403 (1987).