Abstract

Judicial performance evaluation (JPE) programs have existed at the state level for over thirty years as a means of holding judges accountable to the public for a fair, courteous and efficient court process. These programs have been shown to provide the public with valuable information about its judges, and judges with valuable information to assist with their own professional development. Despite their proven benefits, however, JPE programs have never been considered seriously at the federal level. This Article describes the qualities of the most successful state JPE programs, considers the historical obstacles to federal JPE, and ultimately proposes a comprehensive JPE program for United States District and Magistrate Judges that will not offend judicial independence, but will both provide information for judges to improve their performance and will also increase the public's confidence in the courts.