I just discovered recently that Colorado has a Judicial PERFORMANCE Committee. This panel is made up of six citizens, business people, etc, and four members of the BAR. They are empowered to hear and review cases of judicial abuse, and then to recommend whether to retain or not retain a judge, in the little blue book of issues before the voters sent to every voter at election time.
This panel is probably the best kept secret in the country, and they told us that these panels are mandated to exist. AND that the Judicial REVIEW, the Disciplinary Boards of State Supreme Courts, are supposed to forward cases where reprimand has been issued by their review. In 2001 there was one reprimand. In 2002 and 2003, there were NONE...although the complaints went up by nearly 33%each year. Merely looking at the numbers tells any prescient person that something is rotten in this woodpile.. huh?
The number of complaints is relatively meaningless when we are talking about a job which frequently requires one to pick winners and losers in disputes. I've yet to see a case where the loser didn't think the judge screwed him/her in some way.