NCJ Number
200292
Date Published
2002
Length
102 pages
Annotation
This is the 2002 Annual Report of the California Commission on Judicial Performance, which is the independent State agency responsible for investigating complaints of judicial misconduct and judicial incapacity, as well as for disciplining judges.
Abstract
An overview of the complaint process encompasses the authority of the Commission, the procedure for bringing matters before the Commission, the parameters of the Commission's authority, the review and investigation of complaints, action the Commission can take, and confidentiality in Commission actions. Another section of the report provides 2002 statistics of the Commission pertinent to complaints received, investigated, and disposed. In 2002, 918 complaints about active California judges and former judges were considered by the Commission for the first time. The 918 complaints named a total of 1,331 judges. A substantial percentage of these complaints alleged legal error that did not involve misconduct or expressed dissatisfaction with a judge's discretionary handling of judicial duties. In 2002 a total of 900 cases were concluded by the Commission. The average period of time from the filing of a complaint to its disposition was 4.2 months. In 830 of the cases closed in 2002, a sufficient showing of misconduct did not appear after the information necessary to evaluate the complaint was obtained and reviewed. The Commission issued 4 public censures, 1 public admonishment, 6 private admonishments, and 17 advisory letters. Case summaries are provided for these dispositions. Information is also provided on complaints received against subordinate judicial officers and cases that involved judicial disability retirement. The concluding section of the report provides information on Commission organization, staff, and budget. In 2002 the Commission released a 10-year summary of discipline statistics, which is appended to this report. Appended Commission governing provisions, selected judicial opinions that affect the Commission, and a complaint form