If you have a complaint about the behavior of a federal judge, which is not related to the judge’s decision in a particular case, refer to the 10th Circuit Rules Governing Complaints of Judicial Misconduct and Disability. You may also get a copy from the clerk’s office. These rules explain what may be complained about, who may be complained about, where to file a complaint, and how the complaint will be processed.

Almost all judicial complaints are dismissed because they do not follow the law about such complaints. The law says that complaints about judges, decisions and complaints with no evidence to support them must be dismissed. If you are a party 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. A more proper method to complain about a judicial opinion is to appeal that decision to the Court of Appeals at the end of your case.