New York State Judicial Conduct Commission Releases Annual Report of Activity

In the 2025 Annual Report of its activities for 2024, released March 4, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct reported the following:

• 363 full-fledged investigations were undertaken.
• 11 judges were publicly disciplined: three judges were removed from office, three were censured and five were admonished.
• 13 judges resigned and publicly agreed never to return to judicial office.
• Seven other judges resigned while complaints were pending, where it had not been determined permanent departure from office was warranted or appropriate.
• 23 judges were issued confidential cautionary letters.
• 212 matters were pending at year’s end.

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct is the independent state agency that reviews complaints of ethical misconduct against the 3,500 judges and justices of the State Unified Court System and, where appropriate, renders public disciplinary Determinations.

The annual report is available here.

NYS Judicial Conduct Commission releases annual report

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has released its 2023 Annual Report, covering activities throughout the calendar year 2022.

Among its latest activities:

• The Commission also rendered 25 public decisions, the most in a single year since 2009.
• Thirteen judges were publicly disciplined: three judges were removed from office, seven were censured and three were admonished.
• Twelve judges resigned and publicly agreed never to return to judicial office.
• Six other judges resigned while complaints were pending, where it had not been determined permanent departure from office was warranted or appropriate.
• Twenty-seven judges were issued confidential cautionary letters.
• One hundred and eighty-seven matters were pending at year’s end.

The Commission is the disciplinary agency constitutionally designated to review complaints of judicial misconduct in New York State. The Commission's objective is to enforce the obligation of judges to observe high standards of conduct while safeguarding their right to decide cases independently.

The Report is available at here. An accompanying press release is available here.

NYS Judicial Conduct Commission releases annual report

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has released its 2016 Annual Report, covering activities throughout the calendar year 2015.

The Commission is the disciplinary agency constitutionally designated to review complaints of judicial misconduct in New York State. The Commission's objective is to enforce the obligation of judges to observe high standards of conduct while safeguarding their right to decide cases independently.

The Report is available at here. An accompanying press release is available here.

New York Attorney Discipline Commission to Hold Public Hearings

New York State’s Commission on Statewide Attorney Discipline is conducting "a comprehensive review of the state's attorney disciplinary system to determine what is working well and what can work better,

and offer recommendations to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of New York's attorney discipline process."

The Commission is conducting three public hearings this summer: July 28 in Albany; August 4 in Buffalo; and August 11 in Manhattan.

More information, including how to request an invitation to present oral testimony and the process for submitting written testimony, is available here.

Getman reappointed to ethics board

Steven J. Getman has been reappointed to serve as a member of the Tompkins County Ethics Advisory Board.

Getman was reappointed to the board by the Tompkins County legislature at its meeting December 17, 2013. His term expires December 31, 2017.

Under provisions of the County Code of Ethics, the five-member board meets at least once a year and at other times, as convened by the Chair. Among its responsibilities, the board takes testimony and receives complaints concerning alleged unethical practices, which may be submitted by any individual. It also reviews financial disclosure statements filed by County officials and recommends the manner in which any conflicts of interest may be resolved.

An attorney, Getman is of counsel to the law firm of Franklin & Gabriel, in Ovid, New York, where he represents a wide variety of clients on civil and criminal matters, including municipal law and criminal law. He also serves part-time as an assistant county attorney in the Schuyler County Attorney’s office, located in Watkins Glen, New York.

In addition to his law practice, Getman is an adjunct professor in the Keuka College Criminal Justice program.

Legal links of interest for the week ending June 7, 2013

Some of the stories about courts, the law and lawyers in the news this past week:

City's red light camera program may be challenged in court: lawsuit claims program denies constitutional right to due process.

When court takes up privacy, Scalia finds himself with unlikely teammates: Scalia, with those three liberal justices joining him, said that DNA sampling constitutes an impermissible search under the Fourth Amendment.

New York's Court of Appeals asked to hear fracking home rule cases: Attorneys for Norse Energy and an Otsego County farmer made the filing, asking the state’s highest court to take on the cases of upstate towns that changed their zoning laws in 2011 to ban hydrofracking and gas drilling

Ohio prosecutor fired after posing as an accused killer's girlfriend on Facebook: A prosecutor in Ohio has reportedly been fired after admitting to a chat with an accused killer’s alibi witnesses in an attempt to persuade them to change their testimony.

Judge's ruling challenges US transplant system: a federal judge has allowed one dying child - and a day later another - to essentially jump the line in rulings that could have ramifications for thousands of people awaiting new organs.

How the IRS scandal may damage anti-terror data mining: A Cornell law professor argues that explanations and justifications which might have worked in the past no longer are enough, thanks to the IRS.

Legal links of interest for the week ending March 15, 2013

Some of the stories about courts, the law and lawyers in the news this past week:

Open meetings laws force public agencies to share more materials: The new requirement, an amendment to the state open meetings law, mandates that all public agencies make their agendas available to the public in advance of their meetings, as well as supplemental meeting materials such as resolutions or department reports.

Wife of millionaire LI real-estate mogul gets judge to ripup her prenup: Longtime divorce lawyer Raoul Felder, who has never overturned a prenup in his three-decade career and has no involvement in the Petrakis case, called the decision “really rare” and precedent setting.

Will FDA Use Obamacare to Tax Americans’ Smartphones and Tablets: Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are concerned that FDA may subject more smartphones and mobile apps to regulation as medical devices, which could result in their being taxed under Obamacare and harm the innovation and economic benefits of the U.S. mobile marketplace.

Attorney wants to exclude Jews from Abdel Hameed Shehadeh’supcoming terror trial: Lawyer Frederick Cohn will ask a judge to bar Jews from the jury hearing the case against Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, who’s accused of lying about trying to join jihadists in Pakistan.

Can lawyers ethically blog about their cases? According to the decision issued by the Virginia Supreme Court, not only can Virginia lawyers ethically blog about their cases, they can even list the names of their clients when doing so, as long as their blog includes an appropriate disclaimer.

N.Y. Schools See Decrease in U.S. News Rankings: Bob Morse, director of data research at U.S. News, attributed much of the churn to a revised methodology involving the weight given to schools' success at landing their graduates in jobs.

Judge halts mayor's soda ban, calls it 'arbitrary and capricious': Judge Tingling said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Board of Health overstepped their bounds, to enforce rules that should be established by the legislative bodies.

 For more on each of these stories, click the links above.