ALBANY -- New York's Judicial Conduct Commission is warning judges not to let a dispute over pay raises affect their courtroom behavior.

The panel that disciplines judges won't say if any are being investigated for delaying cases as part of a protest over the Legislature's failure to approve judicial pay raises for nearly a decade.

The commission says it's reacting to newspaper stories that some judges were sending a message to legislators. Some judges have recused themselves from cases brought by state legislators and their law firms, citing a conflict of interest.

Chief Judge Judith Kaye is leading a lawsuit against the Legislature to secure raises, but has warned judges not to protest through action from the bench.