Rule 1:35A-2. Judicial Performance Program

The Supreme Court shall establish a program for the continuing improvement of judicial performance to be known as the Judicial Performance Program. The Judicial Performance Program shall be administered so that there is no interference with the performance of the regular duties of judges and no infringement on judicial independence and integrity or on the prerogatives of an individual judge in deciding cases and discharging judicial responsibilities. The primary objective of the Judicial Performance Program shall be the improvement of the judicial system through the improvement of the performance of judges on an individual and institutional basis. The Judicial Performance Program shall include the regular evaluation of the performance of judges and educational programs to enable judges to improve their performance. Evaluation information that is obtained under the program shall be considered personnel records of individual judges and shall be used solely to further the objectives of the program and judicial management. In the evaluation of judicial performance under the program, the Program shall use professionally accepted methods to provide to the extent possible objective and reliable evaluations and to reduce the risk of unfair ratings and statistical comparisons.