§352 Review of complaint by chief judge

Summary

The chief judge must quickly review any complaint brought under the rules. The judge can do a short check to see if the problem can be fixed without a full investigation, or if the complaint is clearly false or cannot be proved. After that review, the chief judge can write an order explaining the decision and either dismiss the complaint if it doesn’t meet filing rules, is about the merits of a judge’s decision or how a case was handled, is frivolous or has no real evidence, or is disproved by objective proof; or the chief judge can end the matter if the problem has been fixed or the complaint is no longer needed. A complainant or a judge unhappy with the chief judge’s final order can ask the circuit’s judicial council to review it. If the council denies the petition, that denial is final and cannot be appealed in court. The council may send the petition to a panel of at least 5 members, at least 2 of whom must be district judges, under the council’s rules.