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 retired justice of the supreme court in Albany County, and the Honorable Lillian Wan, an associate justice of the appellate division, second department.

Digest: (1) Once a judge's law clerk's spouse becomes the Public Defender, the judge (a) must completely insulate the law clerk from all cases involving the PD's office, (b) must disclose both the relationship and the insulation, and (c) may thereafter preside in the matter, provided the judge can be fair and impartial, even if a party objects.  (2) Insulation means that the law clerk will not participate at all in matters involving the PD's office, including by conferencing cases, performing substantive legal research, and drafting decisions.