These Rules of Judicial Disciplinary Procedure are adopted to ensure that allegations of judicial misconduct or incapacity are addressed with transparency, timeliness, and due regard for the rights of all involved. These Rules balance a number of competing interests: the rights of judges to fair treatment in the disposition of complaints against them; the judges’ interest in the confidentiality of complaints for which there is no reasonable cause to believe that misconduct occurred; the public’s concern that complaints against judges are given serious consideration and that judges are held to high standards of behavior; and the interest of the judges and the public in having judicial disciplinary complaints resolved promptly and accurately.
