Legal Definitions - judicial ethics

Judicial ethics refers to the standards and norms that judges must follow to maintain their independence, impartiality, and avoid any improper behavior. It is a part of legal ethics, which deals with ethical issues in the legal profession.

Each state has established a judicial commission to deal with complaints of judicial misconduct. These commissions investigate complaints and hold trial-like hearings to determine if a judge has violated the rules of conduct. If found guilty, the commission can sanction the judge, require them to retire or resign, or even make a finding of criminal guilt punishable as a felony under state or federal law.

For example, if a judge accepts a bribe or shows favoritism towards a particular party in a case, they would be violating judicial ethics. The judicial commission would investigate the complaint and hold a hearing to determine if the judge should be sanctioned or removed from their position.