The paper is devoted to the problem of disciplinary liability of judges as an institution inherent to the rule of law, democracy and the principle of separation of powers. The analysis covers the legal solutions of this issue adopted in the Member States of the European Union where such regulations exist, in selected non-EU European countries with different political systems and in the legal systems of individual US states. This study focuses solely on the constitutional and substantive aspects of judicial disciplinary accountability, ignoring procedural ones as factors with less influence on the fairness of adjudication. In the summary, the author assessed the existing solutions in terms of the requirements of the rule of law, proportionality, the interests of judges and the good of society.