Breaking News: Judge Chatigny Cleared of Wrongdoing in Michael Ross Case by Ethics Panel

The Connecticut Law Tribune Reports: "Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Chatigny has been cleared of all misconduct concerning his role in the death penalty litigation of serial killer Michael Ross, the Judicial Council of the Second Circuit announced July 26." Several charges were lodged against Judge Chatigny both for his temperment in handling the case as well as his invovlement in the case as a private lawyer many years before. The Judicial Council found that none of the complaints -- brought by seven state prosecutors -- merited a finding of misconduct. Chatigny's conduct, however, was not without error. He apologized for some of the rhetoric he employed when conducting a meeting with Ross's counsel and also admitted that had he known about his prior involvement in the case he would have recused himself.

The federal judiciary polices itself with the exception of impeachment and removal proceedings. Recently, several Congressman have claimed that the judiciary is doing a poor job and that a third party should be tasked with the job. It will be interesting to see Congress's reaction to this latest round of policing.