The Commission investigates and acts on complaints of judicial misconduct or disability. All fifty states and the District of Columbia have judicial conduct agencies . Washington's judicial conduct commission was constitutionally created when voters passed the amendment to Article IV, Section 31 of the Washington State Constitution in November 1980. For more information, see the governing provisions section of this website.
The overall goals of the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct are to:
It is a complex mission to hold judges accountable for misconduct without compromising the essential independence of the judiciary. The Commission's process is separate from the judicial appeals system that allows individual litigants to appeal from legal errors. Please see the following sections to learn more about the Commission.
Who the Commission has jurisdiciton over and what the Commission can investigate.
How the Commission investigates and processes complaints.
The importance of confidentiality in Commission investigations.
Current membership of the Commission.
The Commission's meeting schedule.