Washington, DC— Today, the nation's first comprehensive study of the systems that hold state and federal judges accountable ranked Iowa 36^th in the nation and issued the state's program a D+ grade. To shine a light on the typically secretive and toothless systems that often fail to remove abusive and incompetent judges from the bench, legal consumer watchdog group HALT, Inc. released its 2008 Judicial Accountability Report Card, analyzing programs in all 50 states, D.C. and the federal circuits.

"Iowa's system of judicial oversight is one of the most secretive in the nation," stated HALT Senior Counsel Suzanne M. Blonder. Iowa officials are not allowed to release information about ethics complaints against judges unless and until the state's Judicial Qualifications Commission files a recommendation for discipline with the state's high court.

And unlike policies in most states that allow citizens to speak freely about their complaints against judges, Iowa's Court Rules state: "Every witness in every [Judicial Qualifications Commission] proceeding shall swear...to not disclose the existence of the proceedings or the identity of the judicial officer or employee."

"The vast majority of states have abolished these sorts of 'gag' rules," stated Blonder. "Iowa's restrictions not only violate citizens' right to free speech, they also keep the general public in the dark about whether the system of judicial oversight is operating effectively."

Additionally, although Iowa law requires judges to file annual financial disclosure reports, the filings do not include critical information regarding the judge's board affiliations or the economic interests of the judge's spouse and dependents.

"At a time when the American public has lost faith in the impartiality and fairness of the nation's judiciary, it's critical that we have an effective system of oversight for judges," stated Blonder, noting that formal background checks for criminal, professional discipline, financial, mental, or personal problems are not required for associate court judges in Iowa. The only requirements are an application, resident status, a law license and being under 72 years of age. On the other hand, the state requires background checks for nursing home workers, school employees and dozens of other professions.

None of the top five states-Washington, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Arizona and California-scored higher than a B average on HALT's Report Card. More than half of the states received grades in the C range and HALT issued D's to 14 jurisdictions. Two states-Maine and Mississippi-flunked outright.

"We hope that Iowa's chief judicial officers will work to transform a mechanism marred by secrecy into a system dedicated to upholding the integrity of the judiciary."