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: (1) The Committee cannot address legal/administrative issues relating to the court system’s vaccination policies, such as whether a judge may delay vaccination beyond the deadline after denial of their exemption request and use various categories of leave during the judge’s chosen delay period.  (2) Where a judge has been warned that court administrators will deem the judge “unfit for service” if the judge does not comply with the court system’s vaccination policies, the judge may communicate their opposition to this position, provided that such communication comports with the dignity of judicial office and eschews personal attacks on government officials.