United States Court of Appeals
for the
 Fifth Circuit
Honorable Priscilla Richman, Chief Judge



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Judicial Conduct and Disability

Congress has created a procedure that permits any person to file a complaint in the courts about the behavior of federal judges—but not about the decisions federal judges make in deciding cases. Below is a link to the rules that explain what may be complained about, who may be complained about, where to file a complaint, and how the complaint will be processed.

Almost all complaints in recent years have been dismissed because they do not follow the law about such complaints. The law says that complaints about judges’ decisions and complaints with no evidence to support them must be dismissed. If you are a litigant in a case and believe the judge made a wrong decision—even a very wrong decision—you may not use this procedure to complain about the decision. An attorney can explain the rights you have as a litigant to seek review of a judicial decision.

Fifth Circuit Judicial Council Rules for Judicial-Conduct and Judicial-Disability Proceedings (without commentary)

U.S. Judicial Conference Rules for Judicial-Conduct and Judicial-Disability Proceedings (with commentary)

Reports of Judicial Conduct Proceedings

FAQs:  Filing a Complaint of Judicial Misconduct or Judicial Disability Against a Federal Judge

Please note that the judicial misconduct procedure cannot be used to file complaints against administrative law judges, state court judges, or attorneys.  The links below provide information about where to file such complaints.

Where to File a Complaint against and Administrative Law Judge (Social Security ALJ or Immigration ALF)
Administrative Judge Complaint Info

Where to File a Complaint against a State Judge (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas)
State Judge Complaint Info

Where to File a Complaint against an Attorney (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas)
Attorney Complaint Info

 

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