Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics of the New York State Unified Court System’s Office
Topic: recusal in a criminal matter because judge is a “Facebook friends”
Recusal is not required if a judge in a criminal case is a “Facebook friends” with the parents or guardians of certain minors who allegedly were affected by one of the party’s conduct, provided that the judge is confident that this relationship is that of a mere “acquaintance”. The Committee recommends the judge to keep a record, such as a memorandum to the file, of the basis for the conclusion.
The full text is available at http://www.nycourts.gov…