Terms of Service - Judge Account

1. Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to JudgeAccount.com. These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you and JudgeAccount.com ("we," "our," or "us") governing your access to and use of our website and services.

By accessing, browsing, or using JudgeAccount.com, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Community Guidelines. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use our services.

2. Description of Service

JudgeAccount.com is a platform dedicated to promoting judicial accountability and transparency by providing:

A database of United States judges with publicly available information
User-submitted reviews of judges based on firsthand courtroom experiences
Verified media links documenting newsworthy information about judges
Tools for searching, filtering, and accessing judicial information

Our mission is to serve voters, litigants, attorneys, and citizens seeking verified information about judicial officers prior to elections, retention votes, and appointments.

3. Eligibility and Account Registration

3.1 Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years of age to use JudgeAccount.com. By using our services, you represent and warrant that you are 18 years or older.

3.2 Account Registration

To submit reviews, media links, or access certain features, you must create an account. You agree to:

Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
Maintain and promptly update your account information
Maintain the security and confidentiality of your password
Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account
Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account

3.3 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for violations of these Terms, our Community Guidelines, or for any other reason at our sole discretion.

4. User Conduct and Community Guidelines

All users must comply with our Community Guidelines, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference. Key requirements include:

4.1 Firsthand Experience Requirement

You may only submit reviews of judges before whom you personally appeared as a party or witness in a legal proceeding. This is a bedrock principle of our platform. Submitting reviews based on hearsay, secondhand accounts, or without direct personal experience constitutes a material breach of these Terms and will result in immediate account termination.

4.2 Prohibited Content

You agree not to submit content that:

Is spam, repetitive, or commercially promotional
Contains profanity, vulgarity, or inappropriate material
Constitutes harassment, threats, or personal attacks
Is off-topic or unrelated to judicial conduct
Contains deliberate misinformation or false statements
Violates confidentiality, such as sealed court documents
Infringes intellectual property rights or other legal rights

4.3 Truthfulness and Accuracy

We maintain an ironclad policy against false information. You represent and warrant that all information you submit is truthful, accurate, and made in good faith. Knowingly submitting false information constitutes fraud and may result in legal action in addition to account termination.

4.4 Enforcement

Violation of our Community Guidelines may result in content removal, warnings, temporary suspension, or permanent ban, as detailed in our Community Guidelines.

5. Intellectual Property Rights

5.1 Our Intellectual Property

JudgeAccount.com and all content, features, and functionality (including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, icons, images, and software) are owned by JudgeAccount.com and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, or exploit any content from our site without our express written permission.

5.2 User-Generated Content License

By submitting content to JudgeAccount.com (including reviews, media links, comments, or reports), you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content in any media formats and through any media channels.

This license is necessary to operate our platform and fulfill our mission of judicial accountability. You retain ownership of your content, but acknowledge that it may remain on our platform even after account deletion to maintain the integrity of judicial records.

5.3 Representations and Warranties

By submitting content, you represent and warrant that:

You own or have the necessary rights to the content you submit
Your content does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party
You have the legal right to grant the license described above

6. Media Links and Third-Party Content

JudgeAccount.com contains links to external websites and third-party content. We do not control, endorse, or assume responsibility for any third-party sites, content, products, or services. You access third-party sites at your own risk and should review their terms and privacy policies.

Media links are submitted by users and verified by our moderation team. While we strive to ensure accuracy, we do not guarantee that all linked content is accurate, current, or free from errors.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, JUDGEACCOUNT.COM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

Implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement
Warranties regarding accuracy, reliability, or completeness of content
Warranties that the service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free

We do not warrant that:

User reviews or media links are accurate, complete, or reliable
The site will meet your specific requirements or expectations
Defects will be corrected or that the site is free from viruses or harmful components

Important: Reviews on JudgeAccount.com reflect individual subjective experiences and opinions. They should not be construed as legal advice or definitive assessments of judicial competence. Users should conduct their own research and consult with legal professionals when making decisions.

8. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, JUDGEACCOUNT.COM, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
Loss of profits, revenue, data, or use
Damages arising from your use or inability to use the service
Damages based on user-generated content or third-party links
Damages arising from unauthorized access to your account or data

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR $100, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or liabilities, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless JudgeAccount.com, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

Your use or misuse of the service
Your violation of these Terms or our Community Guidelines
Your violation of any rights of another person or entity
Content you submit to the platform
Your breach of any representation or warranty in these Terms

We reserve the right to assume exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, in which case you agree to cooperate with our defense of such claim.

10. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

We respect intellectual property rights and respond to valid DMCA takedown notices. If you believe content on our site infringes your copyright, please contact us at Admin@JudgeAccount.com with the following information:

Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed
Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and its location
Your contact information (name, address, telephone number, email)
A statement that you have a good faith belief that use is not authorized
A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information is accurate and you are authorized to act
Your physical or electronic signature

11. Modifications to Service and Terms

11.1 Service Modifications

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of JudgeAccount.com at any time, with or without notice. We are not liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the service.

11.2 Terms Modifications

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by:

Posting a notice on our website
Updating the "Last Updated" date
Sending email notifications for significant changes

Your continued use of JudgeAccount.com after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the new Terms, you must stop using our services.

12. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

12.1 Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States and the State of Nebraska, without regard to conflict of law principles.

12.2 Arbitration Agreement

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of JudgeAccount.com shall be resolved through binding arbitration, rather than in court, except that you may assert claims in small claims court if your claims qualify.

The arbitration shall be conducted by a single arbitrator in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. The arbitrator's award shall be final and binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction.

12.3 Class Action Waiver

You agree that any arbitration or proceeding shall be limited to the dispute between you and JudgeAccount.com individually. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.

12.4 Exceptions to Arbitration

Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent infringement of intellectual property rights or to enforce Community Guidelines violations.

13. Miscellaneous Provisions

13.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines, constitute the entire agreement between you and JudgeAccount.com regarding use of our services and supersede all prior agreements.

13.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

13.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision in these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

13.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights and obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms without restriction.

13.5 No Agency

No agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship is created between you and JudgeAccount.com as a result of these Terms or your use of our services.

13.6 Survival

Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (including intellectual property licenses, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and dispute resolution provisions) shall survive any termination of these Terms.

14. Contact Information

If you have questions or concerns about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

Email: Admin@JudgeAccount.com
Subject Line: Terms of Service Inquiry