Are California’s judges above public accountability?
The state Commission on Judicial Performance, which disciplines judges for misconduct, wants us to think they aren’t. The reality, though, appears quite different.
The commission, commonly called CJP, is fighting to keep most of its disciplinary decisions secret.
Pressed by judicial reform advocates who have long claimed that wayward judges suffer little discipline and what discipline is imposed isn’t tough nor is it transparent, the Legislature voted last year to have State Auditor Elaine Howle to audit the CJP.
But the CJP quickly ran to court in San Francisco, suing Howle to stop a deep dive into the commission’s disciplinary practices. So we have one state agency suing to stop another state agency from watchdogging it at the request of elected officials. The case remains open. A decision on a CJP motion to dismiss it is pending. [Read Full Article]
