Illustrative CJA advocacy for oversight/investigation
of the Commission on Judicial Conduct
prior to Senate Judiciary Committee's 2009 hearings

CJA's December 15, 1995 letter to Assembly Judiciary Committee
    Ex. A:  22 NYCRR 7000.1 (Definitions), 7000.3 (Investigations & dispositions); Judiciary Law 44 (Complaint, investigation; hearing and disposition); NYS Constitution, Article VI, Sec. 22
    Ex. B: "Comm'n Abandons Investigative Mandate", CJA letter to editor, NYLJ, 8/14/95
    Ex. C: CJA's September 14, 1995 letter to Henry Berger, Chairman/Commission on Judicial Conduct
    Ex. D: CJA's September 14, 1995 letter to Richard Rifkin, Executive Director/Ethics Commission
    Ex. E: CJA's September 19, 1995 letter to Attorney General Dennis Vacco
    Ex. F: CJA's August 22, 1995 letter to John Feerick, Chairman/Fund for Modern Courts
    Ex. G: John Feerick's August 28, 1995 letter
    Ex. H: 1/16/87 judicial misconduct complaint, filed with Commission by M.L. Henry, Jr.
    Ex. I: Commission on Judicial Conduct's January 23, 1987 & July 24, 1987 acknowledgment & dismissal letters
    Ex. J: transcript excerpt from September 22, 1987 Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing on Comm'n on Judicial Conduct
    Ex. K: final page of M.L. Henry, Jr.'s written testimony

CJA's May 23, 1996 letter to Assembly Judiciary Committee,
                                                with accompanying memo on proposed bill
     Ex. A: CJA's May 7, 1996 press release
     Ex. B: City Bar's May 10, 1996 statement
     Ex. C-1: CJA's March 20, 1995 informational request to Commission on Judicial Conduct
     Ex. C-2: Commission's March 21, 1995 letter
     Ex. C-3: CJA's April 4, 1995 letter
     Ex. C-4: Commission's April 6, 1995 letter
     Ex. C-5: CJA's April 20, 1995 letter to Commission
     Ex. C-6: Commission's April 21, 1995 letter
     Ex. C-7: CJA's May 18, 1995 letter
     Ex. C-8: Commission's May 22, 1995 letter
     Ex. C-9: CJA's June 29, 1995 letter to Commission
     Ex. C-10: Commission's July 3, 1995 letter
     Ex. D:  Committee on Open Government's May 24, 1995 letter
     Ex. E:  CJA's March 10, 1995 judicial misconduct complaint to Commission
     Ex. F:  CJA's September 14, 1995 letter to Henry T. Berger, Chairman/Commission
     Ex. G: CJA's April 6, 1995 & April 10, 1995 ltrs to Commission & Commission's April 12, 1995 ltr
     Ex. H: Commission's March 11, 1993 dismissal of complaint filed by Paul Kamenar, Esq.
                Paul Kamenar's March 23, 1993 letter
     Ex. I:   Commission's June 21, 1994 dismissal of complaint filed by George Alessio, Esq.
                George Alessio's June 27, 1994 letter
                Commission's July 15, 1994 letter
     Ex. J:  CJA's June 10, 1994 letter
                Commission's June 29, 1994 letter
     Ex. K: Norman Saferstein's March 31, 1995 letter
                Commission's April 11, 1995 letter
                Commission's July 6, 1995 letter to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
     Ex. L:  Questionnaire for candidates for Associate Judge: NY Court of Appeals
                Questionnaire of Mayor's Committee on the Judiciary
                City Bar's Uniform Judicial questionnaire
                U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's questionnaire
     Ex. M: Commission's brochure
                    

CJA's May 5, 1997 notice-challenge --
"File of Article 78 proceeding, Doris L. Sassower v. Commission on Judicial Conduct, N.Y. Co. Clerk #95-109141"
      Ex. A-1: "Commission Abandons Investigative Mandate", CJA's letter to editor, NYLJ, 8/14/95
      Ex. A-2: "A Call for Concerted Action", CJA's $1,648 ad, NYLJ, 11/20/96
      Ex. B: CJA's 3-page analysis of the fraudulent judicial decision in Doris L. Sassower v. Commission, with annexed law: 22 NYCRR 7000.1 et seq., Judiciary Law 44.1, NYS Constitution, Article VI, Sec. 22

CJA's October 26, 2001 letter to then-Senator David A Paterson --
"CJA's Request for Legislative Hearing/Investigation of NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct"
     Ex. A: inventory of transmittal
                   -- including the file, as of that date, in ER. Sassower v. Commission
                   -- Former Bronx Surrogate Bertram Gelfand's statement at City Bar's May 14, 1997 hearing
                   -- CJA's statement at City Bar's May 14, 1997 hearing
                   --  "Restraining 'Liars in the Courtroom' and on the Public Payroll",
                       CJA's $3,077.22 public interest ad, New York Law Journal, pp. 3-4
      Ex. B: January 16, 1987 judicial misconduct complaint of M.L. Henry, Jr.
      Ex. C: Commission's acknowledgment & dismissal letters

CJA's December 11, 2002 public comments and questions at the forum "Judging the Judges: The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct" sponsored by the New York State Bar Association & Fund for Modern Courts
         

CJA's March 5, 2003 memo to NYS Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committee leaders in support of hearing on NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct
         -- enclosing NYS Comptroller Ed Regan's report , "COMMISSION ON JUDICIAL CONDUCT -- NOT ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC: Resolving Charges Against Judges is Cloaked in Secrecy" (November 1989)
             -- with his press release, "COMMISSION ON JUDICIAL CONDUCT NEEDS OVERSIGHT"  (December 7, 1989)                                  

TEST CASES - State (Commission)
Elena Ruth Sassower, Coordinator of the Center for Judicial Accountability, Inc.,
acting pro bono publico v. Commission on Judicial Conduct of the State of New York

CJA's advocacy before Senate Judiciary Committee Chair John Sampson
at the Committee's January 27, 2009  hearing on "merit selection"
to the NY Court of Appeals

Elena Sassower:       “…you need to be sure that the regulatory bodies, the Commission on Judicial Conduct, the attorney disciplinary committees are functioning, because they are one of the first stops of the Commission on Judicial Nomination in securing information about candidates.  And they are useless.  They are worthless and they are corrupt.  And there needs to be hearings and investigations of those bodies.”  Transcript, at pp. 88-89

   click here for:   VIDEO of CJA's June 5, 2009 testimony & colloquy with Chair Sampson, in two separate parts (at 00 -18:27 mins. & at 42:05-51:51 mins.) at the Committee's 4th & final hearing on "merit selection" -- FURNISHING, in essence, by its second part (42:05-51:51 mins.) the 1st TESTIMONY of the Committee's hearings on the Commission on Judicial Conduct & Court-controlled attorney grievance committees that were to commence three days later, on June 8, 2009)             

Also, see:   CJA's webpage on the Commission on Judicial Nomination & advocacy with respect to its rules