On Friday, August 23, 2024, Reuters reported that a national judicial conduct committee upheld a panel’s findings of misconduct against former federal judge Joshua Kindred of Alaska.
The Judicial Conference’s Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability affirmed the decision made by the 9th Circuit Judicial Council. The council’s investigation found that Judge Kindred fostered an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of his law clerks in October 2022 after she took a new job at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was also found to have created a hostile work environment for his clerks by using crude language and discussing his sex life and views about colleagues with them.
As a result of these findings, the 9th Circuit panel ordered appropriate remedial actions, including formally reprimanding Judge Kindred and asking for his voluntary resignation from the bench. Judge Kindred stepped down from his position as a U.S. District Judge in Alaska last month. However, the council had also referred the case to the Judicial Conference to consider recommending impeachment proceedings in Congress.
The committee agreed with the 9th Circuit’s decision to refer the matter for potential impeachment. However, the question of whether the Judicial Conference will ultimately recommend impeachment remains pending before the full body. If impeached and convicted by the Senate, Judge Kindred could be barred from future federal office.
Judge Kindred, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, had only served four years on the federal court before resigning amid the sexual misconduct scandal. The misconduct findings have prompted concerns about the cases Judge Kindred oversaw and calls from some lawmakers for stronger workplace protections for judicial employees.
The council’s investigation also uncovered potential conflicts of interest involving Judge Kindred, including with a senior prosecutor who had sent him nude photographs and engaged in a “flirtatious rapport” with the judge. Such conflicts, if unknown to the parties in cases before Judge Kindred, could provide grounds for defense attorneys to challenge convictions or sentences. Prosecutors have identified around dozens of cases that may have involved these potential conflicts.
Source: Reuters
