Judicial Ethics Committee and Opinions(a) There shall be an ethics committee of the South Dakota judiciary consisting of two circuit court judges and one magistrate judge. The judicial members shall be selected at the annual judges association meeting. Each member shall serve for a term of three years from the date of the election. A chairperson shall be elected annually by a majority vote of the ethics committee.(b) Opinions as to the propriety of any act or conduct and the construction or application of any canon shall be provided by the committee upon request from any justice, judge or magistrate, except as to matters relating to judicial campaigns which shall be the exclusive jurisdiction of the Special Committee. If the committee finds the question of limited significance, it may provide an informal opinion to the questioner. If, however, it finds the questions of sufficient general interest and importance, it may render a formal opinion, in which event it shall cause the opinion to be published in complete or synopsis form with the names of the persons involved excised. Likewise, the committee may issue formal opinions on its own motion under such circumstances as it finds appropriate. All opinions shall be adopted by a majority vote of the members of the committee. If a majority vote cannot be obtained, no opinion shall be issued.(c) Both formal and informal opinions shall be advisory only; however, the Commission and the Supreme Court shall consider reliance by a justice, judge or magistrate upon the ethics committee opinion.SDCL tit. 16, ch. 1A, app TO CHAPTER 16-1A, VI, 1