another one where I was not sure where to put this...good cuz he resigned, bad cuz it went on...
Alaska federal judge resigns after investigators say he created a hostile workplace npr
A federal judge in
Alaska resigned this week after investigators concluded he created a hostile work environment by sending crude messages to employees, engaging in sexual contact with a former law clerk and lying to colleagues about that relationship.
Joshua Kindred, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and served just four years on the bench, did not provide a reason for leaving the lifetime-tenured job
in a resignation letter.
But his move came after the Judicial Council of the 9th Circuit found he had repeatedly lied and violated canons that require judges to maintain high standards of conduct and “act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”
Investigators interviewed 21 witnesses, including nearly all of his current and former law clerks, as well as 700 pages of text messages.
Their report cited a text where the judge told law clerks, “who gives a f*** about ethics, we need to get you paid.” In another, he mused about punching multiple Supreme Court justices and bringing Patron, heroin and whip-its to a party in his chambers.
“Judge Kindred’s conduct demonstrates that, for the most part, he was entirely unaware of his problematic behavior, which resulted in at least three law clerks suffering in silence at various points in time,” the Judicial Council wrote in a 30-page order and certification. “The Council is not confident that Judge Kindred fully understands the gravity of his conduct even at this juncture.”
The judiciary is now considering next steps, including whether to refer Kindred to Congress for possible impeachment. As a practical matter, that could bar him from holding future federal elected office or taking other jobs with the federal government.
In a written response to investigators, the judge said he “failed to exercise appropriate boundaries and crossed lines I should not have crossed, particularly as it relates to the overarching trend of me treating employees as friends and allowing my personal and professional struggles to become topics of conversation.”
...
Advocates for law clerks emphasized the stark power differential between clerks, usually new law school graduates, and the judges whose recommendations can make or break their careers.
Olivia Warren, a North Carolina criminal defense lawyer with Thomas, Ferguson & Beskind who blew the whistle on a different federal judge years ago, said the system does not do enough to protect clerks.
“I think that this is another day of shame, shame, shame on the judiciary,” Warren said. “To the extent that the judiciary says that they’re reporting mechanisms and the changes they’ve made are working, there is nothing in this report that suggests that law clerks actually reported.”
In fact, it appears the initial tip may have come to the chief judge from someone other than one of Kindred’s law clerks. The report said the clerks “suffered in silence” and expressed deep reluctance to cooperate with investigators. It’s not clear whether the judge continued to supervise his clerks during the lengthy investigation, or whether the judiciary made any moves to help them.
“While I’m heartened that the federal judiciary took this issue seriously in this instance, I’m appalled that this type of misconduct was allowed to go on for so long,” said Aliza Shatzman, who started the Legal Accountability Project to share information about problematic judges after her own bad experience as a law clerk.
...
Millions of people who experience harassment on the job enjoy workplace protections, whether they report to private companies, nonprofit groups or even the U.S. Congress. But that's not the case for some 30,000 people who work for the federal judiciary. That branch of government is largely exempt from the civil rights law that protects workers and job applicants from discrimination.
Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., has been pressing the judiciary to do more to protect workers. Torres said Judge Kindred took comfort in a climate that rewards silence and fear.
“The Judiciary must embrace transparency, always release these decisions and publicize data on their protocols to prevent workplace misconduct,” Torres said in a written statement. “In Congress, I will continue to use every tool at my disposal, including the power of the purse, to protect judicial employees and bring transparency to the Judiciary.”
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