Complaints about Judges

• You can make a complaint about how a judge has acted.
• This is different than just not agreeing with the judge’s decision.
• If the judge considered things other than the law and the evidence in your case you can make a complaint.

Anyone who feels that a judge has acted improperly can make a complaint. The complaint process is easy and free. You can make a complaint without a lawyer.

A complaint must be about a judge’s conduct. You cannot make a complaint because you think the judge made the wrong decision in your case. If you think the judge made the wrong decision you can appeal the case. You should talk to a lawyer if you are thinking about an appeal.

Example
The judge ordered you to pay a company for repairs made to your home. If you disagree because the repairs were done very poorly, you can appeal the judge’s decision. However, if you think the judge only ordered you to pay for the repairs because the owner of the company is a friend of the judge, you can make a complaint.

Judges are held to a high standard of conduct and are required to:

• not let anything except the law and the evidence affect their decisions
• treat everyone who appears in their court equally
• be polite and respectful to the people in court
• avoid doing anything that would make people think they are not fair and open-minded

If you have a complaint about a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench, the Court of Appeal or any federal court, you can make a complaint in writing to the Canadian Judicial Council. If you prefer, you can also use their online complaint form.

If you have a complaint about a Provincial Court judge you can make a complaint in writing to the Saskatchewan Provincial Court Judicial Council.

Complaints should include your name and address, the name of the judge, the court location and a detailed description of what the judge did. Anonymous complaints will only be considered in rare cases.

The Council will look into the complaint. It might review what was said in court, talk to the judge and may contact you for more information. In very serious cases a judge can be removed from office. The Council will let you know the outcome of your complaint.