4.140 Privilege

If you file papers or give testimony to the Judicial Conduct Commission, you are protected from being sued for defamation because of what you said or wrote. This means witnesses, people filing complaints, and others involved in the process can speak honestly without worrying that someone will sue them for libel or slander based on their statements to the commission.

This protection only covers the actual filing or testimony given directly to the commission. If someone else takes those papers or statements and publishes them elsewhere, like in a newspaper or online, that publication is not protected. The only exception is the official record the commission files with the Supreme Court. That record keeps its protected status even after it becomes part of the court case.

In short, this rule encourages people to come forward and participate honestly in judicial conduct proceedings without fear of a defamation lawsuit, but it does not give blanket protection to anyone who later shares or spreads that same information outside the official process.