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. The Judicial-Conduct Rules explain what may be complained about, who may be complained about, where to file a complaint, and how the complaint will be processed.

You must comply with both the general rules and our local rules, or we may reject your complaint without considering your arguments.

Almost all complaints in recent years have been dismissed because they do not follow the law. 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.

In addition to the general and local rules, please note the following to avoid the rejection or summary dismissal of your complaint: