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.

This responds to your inquiry (21-90) asking whether you, a town justice, may either individually or together with a county magistrates' association, lobby the state legislature for a law which would permit centralized arraignments to be handled via electronic means on a local level.

The applicable principles are detailed in our Opinion 19-120. While you must avoid engaging in partisan political activity, you may support and publicly comment on measures designed to improve the law, the legal system and the administration of justice. Indeed, the Rules Governing Judicial Conduct broadly permit judges to participate in efforts to improve the law and the legal system and we have said that participation in such activities is to be encouraged. You may do so individually and/or with other judges or a judicial association.