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

Digest: A judge who is an officer of a magistrates association may invite the prosecutors, defense counsel, probation and various law enforcement and county agencies to attend and speak at monthly magistrates association meetings where no pending or impending matters are discussed.  Any portion of the meeting when magistrates association’s business is discussed or transacted should be private, outside the presence of such outside attorneys and agencies.