Former federal judge Joshua Kindred resigned in July 2024 after being found guilty of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, a rare occurrence for judges. His departure prompted a broader examination of judicial misconduct, particularly following a recent NPR investigation revealing harassment and bullying by multiple federal judges across party lines. Despite claims of strengthened protections and a commitment to reform, judicial leaders provided vague assurances without specific actions to protect law clerks from abusive conduct, raising concerns about the culture within the judiciary and the fear among law clerks to speak out.
Yet some suggested Kindred was merely a "bad apple," and the judiciary itself cast his departure as an example of its commitment to curbing misconduct.
Law clerks are notoriously fearful of speaking with the press. The judiciary was big mad about the reporting, considering how hard they work to keep these issues secret.
Despite their assurances of reform, judicial leaders offered little detail about concrete steps to protect law clerks or to hold judges accountable.
This was a rare moment in which a federal judge stepped down amid misconduct allegations, perhaps the biggest judicial misconduct scandal since notorious harasser Alex Kozinski stepped down.
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