Judicial Conduct, Commission on

Agency Web Site: http://www.cjc.ny.gov/

Mission

The State Constitution established the Commission on Judicial Conduct to evaluate and investigate complaints of misconduct against State judges and local justices. The Commission has disciplinary powers and may render determinations to admonish, censure or remove judges and justices from office for misconduct, or to retire judges for disability, subject to review by the Court of Appeals pursuant to Article 6, Section 22, of the Constitution.

Organization and Staffing

There are 11 members of the Commission, who serve part-time and without compensation. Each serves a renewable four-year term and is appointed by the Governor, the Chief Judge and the Legislature.

The Commission elects a Chair and a Vice Chair from among its members for renewable two-year terms. The Commission appoints an Administrator, who in turn appoints and directs Agency staff. The Commission also designates a Clerk to assist the Commission in its consideration of formal disciplinary charges, adjudication of such charges and preparation of determinations and related matters.

The Commission’s principal office is in New York City with satellite offices in Albany and Rochester. Each office is responsible for investigating complaints that concern judges in their respective regions of the state.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2021 Executive Budget recommends $6 million All Funds appropriation with a workforce of 43 FTEs. The budget and workforce remain unchanged from the previous fiscal year.

Program Highlights

The Commission's core constitutional mission is to enforce ethics standards for approximately 3,350 judges and justices of the New York State Unified Court System, and to impose discipline on those judges or justices who materially violate those standards. The Commission does so by evaluating and taking appropriate action on the roughly 1,900 complaints it receives every year. All agency staff – lawyers, investigators and administrative personnel – are deployed to fulfill the Agency’s core mission: examine, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate complaints that judges have engaged in misconduct. Ancillary activities, such as participating in judicial or legal education and training seminars, are also in furtherance of the agency’s efforts to enforce judicial ethics.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/29/2020