Rule Text
If a judge has multiple complaints pending, the complaints may be consolidated for efficiency and in the interests of justice. Complaints for which notices of formal proceedings have not been issued may be consolidated by order of the Commission. Complaints for which notices of formal proceedings have been issued may be consolidated by order of the presiding officer either upon motion by one of the parties or at the presiding officer’s discretion.
Amendment history: Approved, effective December 6, 1968; as amended, effective August 31, 1984; September 29, 1989; July 1, 1999; as amended, effective May 1, 2010; as amended, effective March 1, 2019; as amended, effective December 4, 2023.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
When a judge has more than one complaint filed against them at the same time, the Commission can combine these complaints into a single case. This is done to save time and make the process fairer and more organized, instead of handling each complaint separately.
How the complaints get combined depends on where they are in the process. If the complaints haven't reached the formal proceedings stage yet, the Commission itself can decide to combine them. If the complaints have already moved forward to formal proceedings, then the presiding officer handling the case makes that call. The presiding officer can combine the complaints either because one of the sides involved asks for it, or simply because they decide on their own that it makes sense to do so.