Judges Are Not Above Accountability

The American legal system grants judges extraordinary power and significant independence from oversight. But judicial independence is not the same as judicial immunity from accountability. Every state has a judicial conduct commission, and federal courts have judicial councils, specifically to receive and investigate complaints about judicial conduct. These systems are imperfect — proceedings are largely confidential, and meaningful discipline is rare — but they exist, and they should be used.

State Court Judges

Complaints about state court judges — including trial judges, appellate judges, magistrates, and commissioners — should be filed with the judicial conduct commission in the state where the judge serves. Use our state directory to find the correct commission for your state.

Most state judicial conduct commissions accept written complaints. Many have online submission forms. A complaint should include:

• The judge's full name, title, and court
• The case name and number (if applicable)
• A factual description of the conduct, with specific dates and quotes where possible
• An explanation of which provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct you believe were violated
• Any supporting documentation (transcripts, orders, communications)

Federal Court Judges

Complaints about federal district court judges and circuit court judges should be filed with the judicial council of the relevant federal circuit. A list of judicial councils and their contact information is available at uscourts.gov. Each judicial council has a clerk's office that receives complaints.

Complaints about Supreme Court justices are handled differently — there is no external body with authority to discipline Supreme Court justices. Impeachment by Congress is the constitutional mechanism for removal, though it has been used only once in American history (Justice Samuel Chase, who was acquitted).

What Judicial Conduct Commissions Can and Cannot Do

State judicial conduct commissions can issue private admonishments, public censures, suspensions, and recommend removal from the bench. Removal typically requires action by the legislature or the state supreme court. Federal judicial councils can refer matters to the Judicial Conference, which can recommend impeachment to Congress — a process that is virtually never used.

What judicial conduct commissions cannot do: reverse a judge's legal ruling, award you money, or retry your case. If you believe a judge made a legal error, the appropriate remedy is an appeal.