New York Attorney General Letitia James has nominated an Albany Law School professor to serve on New York's newly formed lobbying and ethics watchdog. 

James has tapped Ava Ayers for the Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government, a successor to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, her office on Monday announced. 

“A strong, independent body dedicated to ensuring ethical conduct in New York state government requires commissioners who uphold the ideals of public service,” James said. “That is why I am proud to nominate Ava Ayers to the New York Commission on Ethics in Lobbying and Government. Ava has helped educate future leaders about government, law, and public policy, and has served the cause of justice on both the state and federal level. I am confident Ava will serve our state proudly in this new role, and be a leader in efforts to restore the public’s trust.” 

Ayers is a former clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor when she served as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals and for Judge Gerard Lynch at the Southern District of New York. Ayers has been with Albany Law School since 2016 and has served five years as the director of the school’s Government Law Center.

Nominees to the panel must be cleared by a panel of the state's law school deans. The commissioners are nominted by the governor, legislative leaders, attorney general and state comptroller.