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New York’s new ethics and lobbying commission wants to be sure that when someone signs off on a mandatory form, they’re personally liable for any mistakes, intentional or otherwise. Fair enough. False statements should have consequences.

But in writing a new regulation to accomplish that, the commission seems to have made things a whole lot more complicated than they needed to be. And it’s opened itself to yet another lawsuit that goes to the heart of this panel’s problems since it was created in 2022: A commission that’s supposed to make sure public officials obey the law may itself be illegal.

That’s not mere speculation. At least two courts have already said the legislation that created the commission violates the state constitution in the way it was designed and passed. An appeal with the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, is due to be heard next........

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