Opinion ID: 2520026
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Filing the Federal Lawsuit

Text: ¶68 In filing a civil action in the federal courts against the Judicial Conduct Commission and others, Judge Anderson exercised his right to petition for redress of grievances. However, as a judge, he has other burdens. ¶69 Judge Anderson's decision to sue in federal court to challenge the constitutionality of aspects of the Judicial Conduct Commission's process and composition has no direct impact on his ability to perform his duties. As such, the decision to bring the action is not a concern in our review of the facts and circumstances of this case. ¶70 However, Judge Anderson's decision to add allegations about the attorneys who initiated or supported complaints about him with the Judicial Conduct Commission is a concern. While Judge Anderson is free to sue whomever he wishes, as are all citizens, he is also subject to the consequences of such a decision. [17] Taking Judge Anderson at his word in the verified federal complaint and amended complaint, he believed that the attorneys from the Office of the Guardian ad Litem and the Attorney General were engaged in some sort of conspiracy to wrongfully remove him from his position as a public official. Saying so was an expression of bias, and prevented Judge Anderson from ethically hearing cases involving those attorneys. ¶71 Judge Anderson's decision to address in a public forum his beliefs about the integrity and professionalism of attorneys who appear before him carries with it certain consequences. In this instance, his constitutional challenges to the Judicial Conduct Commission could have been raised without the allegations regarding the attorneys. No constitutional claims are served by his ill-tempered charges. We therefore find no merit in his claim that asserting his constitutional rights has somehow resulted in his discipline. Even if it were so, he has not been prevented from asserting his rights, but rather only from avoiding the inevitable consequences of his choice to include claims about attorneys appearing before him as part of that exercise.