Education

• University of Wisconsin B.A. 1980
• University of Wisconsin School of Law J.D. 1983

Courses

• Civil Procedure I (B533)
• Civil Procedure II (B534)
• The Legal Profession (B614)
• Seminar on Judicial Conduct (L714)

Background

• Selected as a 2016 Andrew Carnegie Fellow
• Special Counsel, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, Administrative Office of U.S. Courts, Washington, D.C. (1991)
• Counsel, United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, D.C. (1989-1991)
• Associate, Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C. (1984-1989)
• Clerk, Hon. Thomas A. Clark, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Atlanta, Ga. (1983-1984)

Biography

Professor Geyh teaches and writes in the areas of judicial conduct, ethics, procedure, independence, accountability, and administration. He is the author of Who Is to Judge? The Perennial Debate Over Whether to Elect or Appoint America’s Judges (Oxford University Press 2019); Courting Peril: The Political Transformation of the American Judiciary (Oxford University Press, 2015); When Courts and Congress Collide: The Struggle for Control of America's Judicial System (University of Michigan Press 2006); and Judicial Disqualification: An Analysis of Federal Law (3d ed. Federal Judicial Center 2020). In addition, he is coauthor of Judicial Conduct and Ethics (6th ed., Lexis Law Publishing 2020) (with Alfini, Lubet and Shaman); and Understanding Civil Procedure (6th ed. 2019) (with Shreve and Raven-Hansen); and editor of What's Law Got to Do With it? What Judges Do, Why They Do It, and What's at Stake (Stanford University Press 2011). His scholarship has appeared in over 100 books, articles, book chapters, reports, and other publications.

Geyh has served as an expert witness in the Senate impeachment trial of Federal District Judge G. Thomas Porteous; director of and consultant to the ABA Judicial Disqualification Project, and as reporter to four ABA commissions (the Joint Commission to Evaluate the Model Code of Judicial Conduct, the Commission on the 21st Century Judiciary, the Commission on the Public Financing of Judicial Campaigns, and the Commission on the Separation of Powers and Judicial Independence). He has likewise served as director of the American Judicature Society's Center for Judicial Independence; consultant to the Parliamentary Development Project on Judicial Independence and Administration for the Supreme Rada of Ukraine; assistant special counsel to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on the impeachment and removal of Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen; consultant to the National Commission on Judicial Discipline and Removal; and legislative liaison to the Federal Courts Study Committee.

Geyh received his B.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin in 1980 and graduated from the University of Wisconsin law school in 1983, after which he clerked for the Honorable Thomas A. Clark on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, worked as an associate at the Washington D.C. law firm of Covington & Burling, and served as counsel to the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, before beginning his teaching career in 1991. He joined the faculty at Indiana University in 1999, has served as the law school’s associate dean for research, and is the recipient of three faculty fellowships, three Trustees' Teaching Awards, and the Leon Wallace Teaching Award.

In 2016, Geyh was named an Andrew Carnegie Fellow, the recipient of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation to research and write his most recent book. Also in 2019, Indiana University named Geyh a Distinguished Professor, its most prestigious academic appointment.

In the Media

• Quoted in "Donald Trump and Elon Musk have said they want to impeach judges. Here's why it's likely an empty threat.," Business Insider (3/22/2025)
• Quoted in "State Supreme Court races can be costly, competitive and combative. Why?," NPR (3/6/2025)
• Quoted in "State Supreme Court races can be costly, competitive and combative. Why?," NPR (3/6/2025)
• Quoted in "Candidate right that Wisconsin does not require judges to recuse because of past legal work," Politifact (2/19/2025)
• Quoted in "Would Susan Crawford have to recuse from any abortion case? Why experts say she wouldn’t.," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (2/17/2025)
• Quoted in "Under the Dome: One candidate vocal on election challenge; one silent. What ethics experts say," News & Observer (1/29/2025)
• Quoted in "Judicial Candidates Made Numerous Prohibited Donations," The Assembly (1/7/2025)
• Quoted in "Judges’ ‘Unretirements’ After Trump's Win Spark Dubious Ethics Complaints," National Law Journal (12/18/2024)
• Meantioned in "New Article: 'The Brave New World of Judicial Elections: What We Know and What We Don't'," Election Law Blog (11/24/2024)
• Quoted in "The Supreme Court Is on Collision Course With Its Ethics Struggles," The New Republic (9/30/2024)
• Quoted in "Trump's sentencing in hush-money case is delayed until after election," Semafor (9/5/2024)
• Quoted in "In Deciding When to Sentence Trump, Judge Faces ‘Impossible’ Task," New York Times (9/4/2024)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court Conservatives Are Less Likely to Explain Recusals," Bloomberg Law (9/3/2024)
• Quoted in "Phoenix lawyer tapped by Biden would be second South Asian federal judge in Arizona," Phoenix Business Journal (8/28/2024)
• Quoted in "Many fear Trump will take power with guns. But his real weapon is the gavel," Sydney Morning Herald (8/20/2024)
• Quoted in "Biden pushes to reform the nation's highest court," The Indiana Lawyer (8/14/2024)
• Quoted in "Expert: Biden's Supreme Court reform proposal a good conversation to have," Chicago Tribune (8/6/2024)
• Quoted in "President Joe Biden Has Proposed an Enforceable Ethics Code and Term Limits for the Supreme Court. How Might They Work?," WTTW News (8/5/2024)
• Quoted in "Biden proposed enforceable ethics code and term limits for Supreme Court. How might they work?," Associated Press (7/29/2024)
• Quoted in "Facing federal indictment, Michele Fiore continues to hold court in Pahrump," Review-Journal (7/18/2024)
• Quoted in "Even When Big Cases Intersect With Their Families’ Interests, Many Judges Choose Not to Recuse," ProPublica (7/16/2024)
• Quoted in "'Unlikely': Legal experts doubt special counsel probe of Clarence Thomas is in the cards," Raw Story (7/11/2024)
• Quoted in "Why Clarence Thomas Investigation Is Unlikely To Happen," Newsweek (7/11/2024)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court in danger of having rulings ignored over 'legitimacy' concerns: legal expert," Raw Story (7/7/2024)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court ethics remain at center stage after hard-right rulings," Washington Post (7/6/2024)
• Quoted in "Flag with Jan. 6 ties was flown outside Newby home following Alito controversy," News & Observer (6/27/2024)
• Quoted in "Boies' Choice to Defend Disgraced Judge Points to Immunity Test," Bloomberg Law (6/26/2024)
• Quoted in "Residents suing over FDR Park tree clearing accuse judge of potential bias," WHYY News (6/17/2024)
• Quoted in "'Politician with robes': Expert says secret tape exposes Samuel Alito's 'apocalyptic vision'," Salon (6/13/2024)
• Quoted in "9th Circuit judge recuses from case because of Israel trip," Daily Journal (6/10/2024)
• Wrote "5 reasons Supreme Court ethics questions are more common now than in the past," The Conversation (6/7/2024)
• Quoted in "9th Circuit Judge Recuses From Gaza Case After Israel Trip," National Law Journal (6/6/2024)
• Quoted in "Judging the Judges: State judicial oversight often lacks consistency and transparency," ABA Journal (6/1/2024)
• Quoted in "Justice Alito Won’t Recuse Himself From Jan. 6 Cases After Flag Incidents," Democracy Docket (5/29/2024)
• Quoted in "Justice Alito's Beach Home Neighbors Sound Off on That Jan. 6 Flag," The Daily Beast (5/24/2024)
• Quoted in "Alito's beach house displayed 'Appeal to Heaven' flag, a 'provocative symbol,' report says," ABA Journal (5/23/2024)
• Quoted in "Samuel Alito Displays Second Controversial Flag, Secure In The Knowledge Nothing Will Be Done About It," Above the Law (5/23/2024)
• Quoted in "Flag displays at Justice Alito's homes concern judicial watchdogs," NPR (5/23/2024)
• Quoted in "Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home," New York Times (5/22/2024)
• Quoted in "'Fabricated rantings': Legal experts shred Trump's 'repulsive' attack on Judge Juan Merchan," Salon (5/22/2024)
• Quoted in "Justice Alito Faces New Ethics Questions for Bud Light Stock Sale," Newsweek (5/20/2024)
• Quoted in "Judge in Trump Criminal Case Braces for Glare of Unprecedented Trial," New York Times (5/20/2024)
• Quoted in "Justice Alito Well Within His Rights to Sell Cratering Bud Light Stock, Legal-Ethics Experts Say," National Review (5/20/2024)
• Quoted in "Upside-down flag at Justice Alito’s home another blow for Supreme Court under fire," Politico (5/18/2024)
• Quoted in "Flag Controversy Resurfaces Questions About Supreme Court's Impartiality," US News and World Report (5/17/2024)
• Quoted in "Sen. Dick Durbin says Justice Alito should recuse in Trump cases because of upside-down flag," NBC News (5/17/2024)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court to decide contentious issues amid ongoing criticism," Roll Call (5/8/2024)
• Appeared on "Podcast: Civic Conversations Covers Judicial Ethics," WFHB News (4/18/2024)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court Justices Applying New Ethics Code Differently," Newsweek (4/9/2024)
• Quoted in "April 2 election features powerful people you might have never heard of: Circuit court judges," Wisconcin Watch (3/28/2024)
• Quoted in "Gov.'s Romantic Ties To Top Court Pick May Spark Recusals," Law 360 (2/23/2024)
• Quoted in "Israeli Military Aid Package Not Reviewable by Federal Court (1)," Bloomberg Law (2/1/2024)
• Wrote "The new SCOTUS Code of Conduct," SCOTUS Blog (11/24/2023)
• Co-wrote "Supreme Court Starts Ethics Work, Congress or Court Must Finish," Bloomberg Law (11/15/2023)
• Quoted in "Under fire, US Supreme Court unveils ethics code for justices," Reuters (11/14/2023)
• Quoted in "US Supreme Court Releases Ethics Rule for Justices amid Criticism," Transcontinental Times (11/14/2023)
• Quoted in "Outspoken Federal Judge Condemns Antisemitism’s 'Moral Rot' (1)," Bloomberg Law (11/9/2023)
• Appeared on "(New) Order In The Court? A Focus On Judicial Ethics And Bias," Legal Talk Network: Litigation Radio (10/18/2023)
• Quoted in "Could Probe Into Judge's Diversity Comments Have a 'Chilling Effect'?," Law.com (10/13/2023)
• Quoted in "Plaintiffs' Lawyers Oppose Opioid Special Master DQ: 'Email Shows the Opposite of Bias'," Law.com (9/29/2023)
• Quoted in "Uncle Clarence Thomas Present At 2 Koch Donor Summits," Hip Hop WIred (9/23/2023)
• Quoted in "Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events," ProPublica (9/22/2023)
• Quoted in "Vigo Co. Judge Sheehan found in contempt of court in Owen Co.," WIBQ AM News (8/25/2023)
• Quoted in "Editorial: Giving the public the final judgment?," South Bend Tribune (8/18/2023)
• Quoted in "Southwest Religious Training Order Sparks Misconduct Filing," Bloomberg Law (8/16/2023)
• Quoted in "Limits of congressional power to regulate Supreme Court untested," Roll Call (8/2/2023)
• Quoted in "Dallas hedge fund manager claims judge turned him into a book villain," Dallas News (7/31/2023)
• Quoted in "Judge's Fictional Thriller Sparks Real-Life Courtroom Drama," Wall Street Journal (7/29/2023)
• Quoted in "Don't Send Your Regards: Optics Matter as Public Grows Skeptical of Judge," Law.com (7/19/2023)
• Quoted in "'Shady and corrupt': Watchdog group sounds the alarm over Amy Coney Barrett real estate deal," Slate (6/23/2023)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Under Scrutiny For Alleged Ethics Violations," Seattle medium (6/22/2023)
• Quoted in "'Shady and Corrupt': Add Barrett Real Estate De​al to List of Supreme Court Ethics Scandals," Common Dreams (6/22/2023)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito took undisclosed luxury fishing trip from GOP mega donor," New York Daily News (6/21/2023)
• Quoted in "Report says Alito flew free on billionaire's jet; justice denies wrongdoing," Spectrum News (6/21/2023)
• Quoted in "Justice Alito's Bad Textualism Extends to His Mangling of Words to Justify Not Reporting a Seat on a Private Jet Paid for by a Billionaire Litigant," Election Blog (6/21/2023)
• Quoted in "Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Cour," ProPublica (6/20/2023)
• Quoted in "Proposal to require Michigan courts to use preferred pronouns has some critics," ABA Journal (6/7/2023)
• Quoted in "Pronoun Selection for Lawyers, Litigants Divides Michigan Courts," Bloomberg Law (6/6/2023)
• Quoted in "Why Alito, Kagan recusal decisions at Supreme Court raised eyebrows," The Hill (6/1/2023)
• Quoted in "The US Supreme Court will make crucial decisions this year – but it’s now a snake-pit of sleaze," I News (5/28/2023)
• Quoted in "The JQC Wants Jurisdiction—Even Before Judges Rise to the Bench," Law.com (5/18/2023)
• Quoted in "Investigation Into Judge Newman's Competency Should Be Transferred, Ethics Experts Say," National Law Journal (5/16/2023)
• Quoted in "US judge's lawsuit to block probe leads courts to 'uncharted waters'," Reuters (5/11/2023)
• Quoted in "Clarence Thomas' many scandals draw more calls for court reform," Fox 4 News (5/5/2023)
• Quoted in "Florida Judge Suggests Medical Marijuana Patient Take Xanax Instead," Forbes (5/2/2023)
• Quoted in "Partisan clash expected during Supreme Court ethics hearing," Roll Call (5/1/2023)
• Interviewed on "Supreme Court needs a code of conduct, says judicial ethics expert," NPR All Things Considered (5/1/2023)
• Quoted in "Pinellas judge denies defendant's use of medical marijuana, suggests Xanax instead," Tampa Bay Times (4/29/2023)
• Wrote "The Supreme Court’s refusal to adopt a code of conduct is nothing but petulance," The Hill (4/28/2023)
• Quoted in "Justices' Ethics Statement No Balm For Court Critics," Law 360 (4/26/2023)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court draws fire for ethics inaction," NBC News (4/26/2023)
• Quoted in "Amid ethics issues, Supreme Court justices say no fix needed," PBS News Hour (4/26/2023)
• Quoted in "Probe of federal appeals judge tests aging US courts," Reuters (4/20/2023)
• Quoted in "Review Of Judge Newman's Fitness Raises Thorny Issues," Law 360 (4/19/2023)
• Quoted in "Justice Thomas' actions prompt calls for Supreme Court ethics reform," Scripps News (4/8/2023)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court justice says he didn’t have to disclose luxury trips," Associated Press (4/7/2023)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court justices, including Clarence Thomas, are their own ethics police," NBC News (4/6/2023)
• Quoted in "Trump, Wisconsin and the eroding trust in the rule of law," Washington Post (4/6/2023)
• Quoted in "Liberals win control of Wisconsin Supreme Court ahead of abortion case," Washington Post (4/4/2023)
• Quoted in "Why does Trump think attacking his Manhattan judge is a good plan?," The Week (4/4/2023)
• Quoted in "Federal judge withdraws from West Virginia foster care lawsuit after involving lawmakers in settlement talks," Mountain State Spotlight (4/3/2023)
• Co-wrote "More Judicial Reforms Are Needed, But Observers Diverge on Scope," Bloomberg Law (3/30/2023)
• Quoted in "Prosecutor recusal motion in death penalty case seen as tactical move," Fox59 News (3/29/2023)
• Appeared on "Judicial Misconduct – How Should We Respond? with Charles Geyh," Legal Talk Network (3/21/2023)
• Quoted in "Stanford Apologizes to US Circuit Judge for Disrupted Speech (1)," Bloomberg Law (3/13/2023)
• Quoted in "As he pushed for a foster care deal, a federal judge met privately with West Virginia lawmakers about an open lawsuit," Mountain State Spotlight (3/3/2023)
• Quoted in "Alito, Kagan Top Justices in Supreme Court Recusal ‘Black Box’," Bloomberg Law (2/13/2023)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court justices face new pressure to adopt code of conduct," NBC News (2/8/2023)
• Mentioned "Janet Protasiewicz Says Walker;s Act 10 Was ‘Unconstitutional,’ Raising Ethics Code Concerns," Wisconsin Right Now (1/25/2023)
• Quoted in "Ketanji Brown Jackson Book Deal Joins Trendy Supreme Court Side Hustle," Bloomberg (1/7/2023)
• Quoted in "Weekly Briefs: Giuliani committed ethics violation, committee says; Justice Kavanaugh criticized for attending party," ABA Journal (12/16/2022)
• Quoted in "Kavanaugh attended a right-wing activist’s holiday party at 'the worst possible time'," Raw Story (12/13/2022)
• Quoted in "Law professors raise ethics concerns as Kavanaugh parties with Republicans at “worst possible time”," Salon (12/13/2022)
• Mentioned in "Brett Kavanaugh is allowed to have conservative friends," Washington Examiner (12/13/2022)
• Quoted in "Justice Brett Kavanaugh Faces Backlash for Attending CPAC Chairman's Holiday Party," Christian Headlines (12/13/2022)
• Quoted in "Kavanaugh Holiday Party Appearance Raises Ethics Questions," Bloomberg Law (12/12/2022)
• Quoted in "Ethics Scholars Question Justice Thomas' Participation in Arizona Election Order," Law.com (11/14/2022)
• Quoted in "Will Judge Coomer Have to Pay? Ethics Experts Weigh In," Law.com (11/10/2022)
• Quoted in "'It's not common for judges to disqualify themselves': IU Professor of Law breaks down the process," WRTV News (11/4/2022)
• Quoted in "Hundreds join petition to cancel Amy Coney Barrett's $2M book deal with Penguin Random House," Meaww (10/28/2022)
• Quoted in "Abortion Recusals Raise Questions About Reasons Judges Opt Out," Bloomberg Law (9/21/2022)
• Quoted in "GOP Lawmakers Cast Doubt on Special Committee Probing Judges' Controversial Law Clerk Hiring," Law.com (8/25/2022)
• Quoted in "Speech by Justice Alito made news for a joke — but it’s raising alarm for a different reason," San Francisco Chronicle (8/10/2022)
• Quoted in "Law groups are united that judicial discipline process needs greater transparency," Denver Gazette (8/10/2022)
• Quoted in "'Extreme Behavior': A Judge Pulls Out a Gun in Court. It's Sparked a Debate on Recusal Procedures.," National Law Journal (7/20/2022)
• Quoted in "A Federal Judge Bought Apple And Microsoft Bonds While Overseeing A Case Against Them — Then Dismissed It," Forbes (6/24/2022)
• Quoted in "Cisco's $2 Billion Loss Nixed Over Judge's Wife Owning Stock (2)," Bloomberg Law (6/23/2022)
• Quoted in "Supreme Court Ethics Bill Faces Tough Path In Congress," Law360 (5/11/2022)
• Quoted in "'It's unseemly': Ethics experts unsettled by federal judges trying to control who replaces them," National Law Journal (4/21/2022)

Selected works

• WHO IS TO JUDGE: JUDICIAL ELECTIONS, JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS, AND THE PERENNIAL DEBATE OVER JUDICIAL SELECTION IN AMERICA (Oxford University Press 2019).
• UNDERSTANDING CIVIL PROCEDURE (with Gene Shreve & Peter Raven-Hansen) (Lexis Law Publishing, 6th ed. 2019).
• LEGAL ETHICS, PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND THE LEGAL PROFESSION (with Gregory Sisk, William Henderson, Katherine Cruse, Susan Fortney, Neil Hamilton, Vincent Johnson, Stephen Pepper, Melissa Weresh) (West Academic Publishing 2018).
• COURTING PERIL: THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE AMERICAN JUDICIARY (Oxford University Press 2016).
• JUDICIAL CONDUCT AND ETHICS (with James Alfini, Steven Lubet & Jeffrey Shaman) (Lexis Law Publishing, 5th ed. 2013).
• WHAT'S LAW GOT TO DO WITH IT?: WHAT JUDGES DO, WHY THEY DO IT, AND WHAT'S AT STAKE (Charles Gardner Geyh, ed., Stanford University Press 2011).
• DISQUALIFICATION: AN ANALYSIS OF FEDERAL LAW (Federal Judicial Center 2d ed., 2011).
• WHEN COURTS AND CONGRESS COLLIDE: THE STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL OF AMERICA'S JUDICIAL SYSTEM (University of Michigan Press paperback edition 2008) (with foreword by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor).
• REPORTERS' NOTES ON THE 2007 MODEL CODE OF JUDICIAL CONDUCT (with W. William Hodes) (American Bar Association 2008).

Related links

• Social Science Research Network
• ORCID
• Publications

Areas of expertise

• Civil procedure
• Courts and Congress
• Federal courts
• Judicial selection and ethics