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 28 current and retired judges, and is co-chaired by the Honorable Debra L. Givens, an acting justice of the supreme court in Erie County, and the Honorable Lillian Wan, an associate justice of the appellate division, second department.

Digest: Where a judge's cousin is an employee of a residential holding company and one of several non-lawyers who regularly appear as the company's agent in eviction proceedings, the judge (1) must disqualify in matters involving the judge's cousin but (2) may preside in eviction proceedings brought by other agents of the residential holding company, provided the judge is satisfied that his/her cousin is not likely to be a material witness and the judge can be fair and impartial.