Requesting an Opinion

The ACJE can only respond to inquiries from New York State judges and quasi-judicial officials about their own prospective conduct. To request a judicial ethics opinion, please write to:

Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics
c/o Maryrita Dobiel, Esq., Chief Counsel
4 Empire State Plaza, Suite 2001
Albany, NY 12223-1450
Tel: 1-866-79-JUDGE (or 1-866-795-8343)
Fax: (212) 295-4881

The ACJE makes every effort to consider and decide each written inquiry at the next regularly scheduled meeting, as long as the inquiry is received at least 10 days prior to a scheduled meeting date.

If you need an expedited response, you must explain in your inquiry why it is time-sensitive. If your particular inquiry involves your campaign conduct, you may obtain expedited consideration by contacting the Judicial Campaign Ethics Center (email contactJCEC@courts.state.ny.us or call 1-888-600-JCEC).

For informal inquiries, which do not provide the protections of Judiciary Law §212(2)(l), you may contact any of the ACJE members or staff by telephone.

The ACJE does not accept e-mail inquiries.

Statutory Authority and Precedential Value
Judiciary Law §212(2)(l) provides that any action a judge takes in accordance with a formal written advisory opinion of the ACJE is "presumed proper" for purposes of any subsequent investigation by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.