Press Release  Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct Notice Inviting Comment on Proposed Amendments to Rules 1, 6, and 13

Boston, MA — The Commission on Judicial Conduct invites public comments on proposed amendments to Commission on Judicial Conduct Rules 1, 6, and 13.

The proposed amendment to Rule 1 would define the term, “impounded,” as it is used in the Commission’s Rules.

The proposed amendments to Rule 6 would eliminate the requirement that a judge be notified of a complaint against him or her, by certified or registered mail, and would instead require that the Commission notify a judge of a complaint, by regular mail and by email, addressing regular mail to the judge’s last known place of residence and email to the judge’s last known official judicial email address.

The proposed amendments to Rule 13 would call for a Rule 13A Direct Submission to the Supreme Judicial Court to be impounded, rather than submitted under seal.  The proposed amendments to Rule 13 would also clarify that submissions made to the SJC under both Rule 13A and Rule 13B are immediately impounded until further order of the SJC.

Information: The proposed amendments are available by clicking the link under the related section of this page.

The Commission on Judicial Conduct welcomes all comments on the proposed amendments.  Comments should be directed to the Commission in writing, by email, at comments@cjc.state.ma.us.  Comments are due on or before March 5, 2021.

Any comments received by the Commission will be made available to the public.  Following the public comment period, the Commission on Judicial Conduct will submit the proposed amendments and any comments its receives regarding the proposed amendments to the Supreme Judicial Court for approval, pursuant to G.L. c. 211C, sec. 3.

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