Preamble

As amended through February 1, 2024
Preamble

The regulation of judicial conduct is critical to preserving the integrity of the judiciary and enhancing public confidence in the judicial system. These Rules reflect a careful balance of a number of competing interests: the rights of judges to fair treatment in the disposition of complaints against them; the judges' interest in the confidentiality of complaints for which the Commission finds there is not reasonable cause to believe that misconduct occurred; the public's concern that complaints against judges are given serious consideration and that judges are held to high standards of behavior; and the interest of the judges and the public in having judicial disciplinary complaints resolved promptly and accurately.

These Rules were drafted based on the 1994 Model Rules for Judicial Disciplinary Enforcement developed by the American Bar Association Center for Professional Responsibility, as revised to reflect Georgia constitutional and statutory law, the history and practice of the Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia, and the views of the Commission and the Supreme Court of Georgia on the often complex and difficult issues that arise in the regulation of judicial conduct.

Adopted effective January 1, 2018.