If a federal judge is accused of misconduct, a complaint may be adjudicated before a panel of judges within his or her circuit, called a judicial council, and a proper punishment may be doled out if the council reaches a finding of wrongdoing.
While this process is far from perfect — a disciplinary system whose foundation is judges judging their colleagues is biased toward the accused — the benefit is that there are intermediate steps the council may take short of removal, and the negative behavior may be ameliorated.
