In the wake of a blistering speech by a key Capitol Hill lawmaker on the lack of judicial accountability, the pervasive criticism of a fellow Justice for failure to recuse himself in a high-profile case and the fear that Congress would pass a law on miscon-duct without the judiciary’s input, Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the US Supreme Court recently launched a review of the disciplinary system of the US federal courts.
Justice Rehnquist established a six-member panel, chaired by fellow Justice Stephen Breyer, called the Judiciary Conduct and Disability Act Study Committee. The committee will evaluate how the judiciary has implemented a 1980 Act that provides that any person can complain to a Court of Appeal if that person believes that a judge has engaged in prejudicial conduct or that a judge is unable to discharge the duties of the office by reason of mental or physical disability.
