The New York County Lawyers' Association is pleased to announce that the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates has adopted the major recommendations proposed by a report released by NYCLA's Task Force on Judicial Conduct.
The report was prepared in response to concerns that the activities of the commission on judicial conduct may unintentionally compromise the independence of the judiciary and the widespread perception that many of the commission's procedures are at variance with the due process framework that is fundamental to our legal system. The recommendations adopted today seek to promote judicial independence by bringing greater transparency to the way in which the commission operates, and enhancing due process and the appearance of fairness in the commission's processes.
Among the resolutions that were adopted were approval ofjudges' professional liability insurance, training for referees, notice and discovery and separation of functions. The report follows extensive and constructive dialogue with the commission itself, which supported some of the recommendations though disagreeing with others. It had previously changed some of its procedures after discussion with NYCLA. The NYCLA Task Force plans to continue studying issues related to the commission and continue its dialogue with the commission's administrator.