South Carolina Lawyers Weekly
By Jason Boleman
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit announced new local rules for judicial conduct and judicial disability on April 13.
The new rules, effective May 31 “subject to revision in light of any comments received,” make clear how complainants can submit complaints against members of the judiciary as well as rules and guidelines on filing a complaint.
In brief, the rules state that complainants must “clearly identify the subject(s) of the judicial complaint” by writing the subject judge’s name on the first page of the complaint. The rules also limit the statement of facts in the complaint to five single-sided pages, submitted on standard 8 ½ by 11-inch sheets.
While not required, local rules “strongly encourage[]” complainants to use the judicial complaint form provided on the court’s website.
The rules further provide guidance on supplements, supporting documentation and how to sign and file the complaint, as well as what to do if the statement of facts exceeds the five-page limit.
Parties interested in submitting comments on the rules can do so by May 15 by emailing [email protected] or by mailing comments to Circuit Executive James N. Ishida in Richmond.
The full text of the local rules and full information on how to submit comments are available on the court’s website, www.ca4.uscourts.gov.
