Rule Text
The Commission has jurisdiction:
A. Over a complaint upon receipt or issuance thereof.
B. Over a judge upon service of either a notice of investigation or a notice of formal proceedings. Jurisdiction over a judge, and the Commission’s exercise thereof, continues despite the subsequent retirement, removal, or resignation of the judge.
C. To investigate any information concerning a judge that may constitute grounds for discipline, removal, or retirement of a judge.
Amendment history: Approved, effective December 6, 1968, as amended, effective March 27, 1975; March 1, 1979; 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.
The Commission that handles complaints against judges has authority to act as soon as a complaint comes in or is created. Once that happens, the case falls under its power.
For judges themselves, the Commission gains authority over them as soon as they are formally notified that they're being investigated or that formal proceedings have started against them. This authority does not go away if the judge later retires, resigns, or is removed from office. In other words, a judge can't avoid the process just by stepping down or leaving the bench.
The Commission also has the power to look into any information it receives about a judge, as long as that information could point to a reason for discipline, removal, or forced retirement. This means the Commission can start investigating based on tips or reports, even before a formal complaint is filed.
