The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications is a forum for citizens' complaints against judges and provides the means by which standards of judicial conduct are enforced. Its challenge is to assist the judiciary in maintaining a balance between independence and accountability.
In 1970, by constitutional amendment, Indiana joined the increasing number of states to create commissions of lawyers and lay citizens to screen and investigate allegations of judicial misconduct and, when appropriate, to file judicial disciplinary charges. Today, each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia has a judicial conduct commission. The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications is a forum for complaints alleging judicial ethical misconduct. Its goal is to assist the judiciary in maintaining the appropriate balance independence and accountability.
The Commission was established by Article 7, Section 9 of the Constitution. Its statutory authority is in Indiana Code 33-38-13-1 et. seq. Supreme Court Admission and Discipline Rule 25 sets out the scope of the Commission's role in the disciplinary process and provides the rules by which judicial misconduct cases are investigated and prosecuted.
The Qualifications Commission itself does not remove, suspend, or formally discipline judges; only the Indiana Supreme Court has jurisdiction to impose formal judicial discipline. The Commission's function is to investigate complaints concerning Indiana judges and to determine whether a particular complaint has merit. Serious cases may result in charges of misconduct filed with the Supreme Court after a Commission investigation. Less serious cases may result in confidential warnings from the Commission.
