Washington, DC— Today, the nation's first comprehensive study of the programs that oversee state and federal judges issued Mississippi's judicial accountability system a failing 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.

"Mississippi's system of judicial oversight is one of the most secretive and insular in the country," stated HALT Senior Counsel Suzanne M. Blonder. "In an era that embraces principles of sunshine and transparency, it's shameful that the system for monitoring some of the state's most powerful government officials is designed to shut out the public."

HALT's study noted that Mississippi officials do not release information about ethics complaints against judges unless and until the state's Commission on Judicial Performance files a recommendation for discipline with the state's high court. And ordinary citizens have only a token role in Mississippi's judicial oversight system, as judges and lawyers outnumber lay persons two-to-one on the state's Commission.

Further, the state's Code of Judicial Conduct fails to place meaningful limitations on the reimbursement and compensation that judges may accept in connection with trips sponsored by corporate and special interests. "Mississippi's laws include massive loopholes that allow members of the judiciary to be wined and dined on the corporate dime," noted Blonder.

And the Commission's Web site lacks critical resources, including a section to address complainants' frequently asked questions, a clear and detailed explanation of the disciplinary process and a list of disciplinary rulings. "Without online resources like these, the public has very little guidance about how to file a judicial ethics complaint or how to determine if a judge has a history of misconduct," stated Blonder.

Besides Mississippi, only one other state-Maine-was given an F on HALT's Report Card. None of the top six states-Washington, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California and Texas-scored higher than a B average on the Report Card. More than half of the states received grades in the C range and HALT issued D's to 14 jurisdictions.

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