Press Release  Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct Publishes 2015 Annual Report

Boston, MA — On May 17, 2016, the Commission on Judicial Conduct’s Executive Director, Howard V. Neff, III, published the Commission’s Annual Report, covering its activities from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015.  

The Commission reports that 267 complaints were filed with the Commission in 2015, and out of those complaints, 55 were docketed for investigation or preliminary inquiry, as each met the standard of alleging facts that, if true, would constitute judicial misconduct. Of the complaints received in 2015, forty were submitted through the Commission’s online complaint form, which became available on July 22, 2015.

The Commission considered 78 complaints filed in 2015 and previous years and disposed of 65 of them in 2015.  Of the 78 complaints considered by the Commission in 2015, 60 were dismissed upon the Commission’s finding of no misconduct. In six of those instances, the Commission expressed concern to the judge regarding future conduct. Five complaints that were subject to an Informal Adjustment or Agreed Disposition were actively monitored by the Commission in 2015 and four of those complaints were successfully closed.  

The Annual Report includes statistics for the year 2015, overall statistics dating back to the year 2011, a copy of the Commission’s enabling statute, a copy of its rules, the Code of the Judicial Conduct effective through December 31, 2015, and a copy of the revised Code of Judicial Conduct, which became effective on January 1, 2016.

The Commission’s statute and rules, and a copy of the 2015 Annual Report are available on the Commission’s website: www.mass.gov/cjc.

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