Source: http://www.mass.gov/cjc/report2001all.htm
Timestamp: 2014-12-19 01:36:30
Document Index: 714838562

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 3', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2']

Web site: www.mass.gov/cjc
III. SUMMARY OF COMMISSION ACTIVITY IN 2001	7
IV. CASE SUMMARIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
V. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMISSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1. Membership	15
2. Budget	15
3. Staff	16
4. Meetings	16
VI. APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 A. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 211C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
This annual report covers the Commission's activities from January 1, 2001 through December 31,
C), sets forth eight canons which govern a judge's behavior. The Commission's grounds for
If, upon screening, the Executive Director considers a complaint to be "frivolous or unfounded,"
pursuant to Rule 6D, the complaint goes to the Commission for immediate consideration of whether
it should be summarily dismissed.
in the complaint, the complaint goes to the Commission for immediate consideration of whether
there exists such risk or danger. If a majority of the Commission votes that there is, the Commission
determines the least amount of information in the complaint which will be withheld from the judge,
only until such risk or danger ends. The complaint is then investigated.
Commission or its staff; it protects complainants, witnesses, and judges. III. SUMMARY OF COMMISSION ACTIVITY IN 2001
One hundred thirty-three of the hundreds of complaints received in 2001 were docketed because they
fell within the Commission's jurisdiction.(1) Of those complaints docketed, 52.6% were filed against
judges of the Probate & Family Court; 24.8% were filed against judges of the District Court; 19.5%
were filed against judges of the Superior Court; 1.5% were filed against judges of the Juvenile Court;
and 0.75% each were filed against judges of the Housing and Boston Municipal Courts. Chart 3
presents the distribution of complaints by court.
In 2001, litigants filed 84% of the complaints. Of the litigants who filed complaints, 55% were pro
se. Relatives of litigants filed an additional three complaints. Eleven complaints, or 8%, were filed
by lawyers. Three complaints, or 2%, were filed by concerned citizens. Two complaints, or 1.5%,
were initiated by the Commission. No complaints were filed anonymously in 2001. Chart 5 presents
Most of the complaints filed in 2001 contained multiple allegations of misconduct. The subject
matter of the allegations is presented in Chart 6. Disagreement with the judge's rulings was the
most frequent allegation, appearing in 67% of the complaints (although it is not, standing alone, an
allegation of misconduct). The next most frequent allegation was bias or prejudice, which appeared
in 59% of the complaints. The type of bias or prejudice most frequently alleged was gender bias,
which arose in 15% of the complaints filed, and in 25% of the complaints alleging bias or prejudice. Of those alleging gender bias, 75% alleged bias against men, and 30% alleged bias against women. (One complaint alleged bias against both men and women.) Racial bias was alleged in 14% of the
bias complaints. Following bias, the next most frequent allegations were: denial of full opportunity
to be heard (48%); inappropriate demeanor (45%); failure to follow the law or incompetence (22%);
denial of constitutional rights (20%); improper ex parte communication (15%); conspiracy or
collusion (14%); and administrative problems (13%), of which 88% alleged delay.
Chart 1 presents the status of the Commission's 2001 docket. The Commission disposed of 129
complaints in 2001, including some which were carried over from previous years. Ninety-five
complaints were pending at the end of 2001, including five which had been Informally Adjusted. The status of those complaints is shown in Chart 1.
As shown in Chart 2, the Commission dismissed outright 117 complaints, or 90.6% percent of the
complaints disposed by the Commission during 2001. Of those complaints dismissed, 45% were
dismissed after preliminary review because they were stale, frivolous or unfounded, or moot; 45.7%
were dismissed after investigation because the Commission did not find that any judicial misconduct
had occurred. In addition, five complaints (3.9% of those disposed) were dismissed with an
expression of concern following an investigation. Chart 2 also indicates that seven complaints, or 5.4% per cent of the complaints dispos