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: Remittal of disqualification is a three-step process requiring full disclosure on the record of the basis for disqualification and the voluntary affirmative consent of the parties and their counsel.  However, we no longer prohibit remittal of disqualification merely because a party is unrepresented.  We hereby modify our prior opinions to abolish that requirement.

Rules: Judiciary Law §§ 9; 14; 22 NYCRR 100.2; 100.2(A); 100.3(B)(12); 100.3(E)(1); 100.3(E)(1)(a)-(f); 100.3(F); Opinions 20-82/20-86; 20-22; 04-100.