How to File a Complaint


Making a Complaint about an Arizona Judge

Anyone can file a complaint against a judge. Click on complaint form for the Commission's official complaint form. A letter will be treated as a complaint if it contains the information required on the official form. There is no charge for filing a complaint. 

The complaint form is a fillable form that can be saved as a PDF and sent to the Commission as an attachment to an email message, but is only fully compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE). The form can also be printed, filled in by hand, and mailed to the Commission at the address listed on the form.

A complaint consists of a statement of facts describing the judge’s alleged misconduct and listing the names of witnesses who can verify the facts. The complainant is not required to provide court files, but may attach copies of documents he or she believes may help the Commission understand the complaint. 

All complaints are numbered and screened in the order in which they are received. The Commission's investigation may take several months, depending on the complexity of the matter and current caseloads.

The Commission accepts electronically submitted complaints where the complainant uses the Commission's complaint form, attaches a PDF copy of that form to an e-mail, and sends the e-mail to the Commission at [email protected]. Staff may reject electronically submitted complaints that do not meet these criteria and require resubmission in the foregoing format.

The complainant and the judge will be notified by mail of the Commission's decision at the conclusion of the investigation. If either disagrees with the decision, he or she may file a motion for reconsideration within fifteen days of the mailing of the Commission's order.