Court and Tribunal Service Complaints

HMCTS complaints cover administrative matters, including:

• Delays in processing applications or listing hearings
• Errors in court documents (incorrect dates, names, or case details)
• Failure to communicate important information about hearings
• Conduct of court staff (rudeness, unhelpful behaviour)
• Problems with accessing court buildings (accessibility issues)
• Court fees — disputes about the correct fee or a refusal of fee remission

Complaints about judicial decisions — how a judge decided a case, or comments made by a judge during proceedings — are not handled through the HMCTS complaints process. If you disagree with a judicial decision, the correct route is an appeal to a higher court.

HMCTS has a formal complaints procedure. You can make a complaint:

• Online: Via the HMCTS complaints form at gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service/about/complaints-procedure
• By email or post: To the Complaints Team at HMCTS headquarters

HMCTS aims to acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and to respond within 20 working days. If you are unhappy with HMCTS's response, you can ask for the complaint to be reviewed by a senior manager.

If the HMCTS complaints process is exhausted and you remain unhappy, you can escalate to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) via your MP — HMCTS is a government agency and falls within the PHSO's remit.

If you believe a judge or magistrate has acted improperly — through personal conduct, bias, or behaviour that goes beyond legitimate judicial discretion — you can make a complaint to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO).

The JCIO can investigate judicial conduct and, where appropriate, impose sanctions ranging from formal advice to removal from judicial office. However, the JCIO cannot investigate decisions made by judges in their judicial capacity — only their personal conduct. Complaints about judicial decisions must go through the appeal process.

To make a JCIO complaint, complete the form on the judiciary.gov.uk website. Note that the JCIO will not investigate a complaint about a judicial decision disguised as a conduct complaint — if your real grievance is the decision itself, you need legal advice about an appeal.

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) is the body responsible for investigating complaints about the personal conduct of judges, magistrates, and tribunal members in England and Wales. Understanding exactly what the JCIO can and cannot investigate — and how the process works — is important before making a complaint.

What the JCIO can investigate: The JCIO investigates personal misconduct by judicial officeholders. This includes: bullying, harassment, or discriminatory remarks made by a judge (whether on the bench or in another context); conduct that calls into question the judge's fitness to hold office; making inappropriate personal disclosures or having conflicts of interest that should have been declared; behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards parties, witnesses, or court staff; and criminal conduct by a judicial officeholder. The test is whether the conduct could undermine public confidence in the judiciary.

What the JCIO cannot investigate: The JCIO will not investigate complaints about judicial decisions — whether the judge got the law right, weighed the evidence correctly, or came to a fair conclusion. It will not investigate judicial comments that, however unwelcome, fall within the proper exercise of judicial discretion. It will not investigate complaints about the outcome of cases. These matters must be addressed through the appeal process. The JCIO screens complaints carefully and will reject those that are, in substance, dissatisfaction with a judicial decision dressed up as a conduct complaint.

How to make a JCIO complaint: Complete the online complaint form at judicialconduct.judiciary.gov.uk. You will need to provide: your name and contact details; the name of the judicial officeholder you are complaining about; the court or tribunal and the case reference (if known); the date(s) of the incident; a clear factual account of what was said or done; and an explanation of why you consider this to be misconduct rather than an exercise of judicial discretion. The JCIO aims to acknowledge complaints within 10 working days and to provide an initial decision on eligibility within 20 working days. If the complaint passes the eligibility screen, it is referred to the Office for Judicial Complaints for investigation. The judge concerned is given the opportunity to respond. Potential outcomes range from no further action to formal advice, formal warning, or — in the most serious cases — removal from judicial office. Note that the JCIO cannot award compensation — it is a disciplinary body, not a remedy provider.