Former U.S. district judge in Alaska, Joshua Kindred, resigned after allegedly creating a hostile environment for his law clerks and having an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of them, as per a misconduct order filed with the Judicial Council for the Ninth Circuit. The council requested Judge Kindred to resign voluntarily over the misconduct allegations, which he did on July 3, with the resignation taking effect on July 8.
A 30-page judicial misconduct order, filed in May and made public on July 8, concluded that Judge Kindred engaged in misconduct by having “an inappropriately sexualized relationship with one of his law clerks both during her clerkship and after she became an Assistant United States Attorney.” The probe was initiated following a complaint against Judge Kindred in 2022, which Chief Circuit Judge Mary H. Murguia received. Despite Judge Kindred denying the allegations, Judge Murguia found “reasonably disputed issues” that necessitated a Special Committee investigation.
The order revealed that Judge Kindred misled Judge Murguia, the council, and investigators by denying any sexual contact with the law clerk. However, during a Judicial Council meeting on April 5, he confessed to “deliberately lying” to the Special Committee.
The order described Judge Kindred’s misconduct as “pervasive and abusive, constituted sexual harassment, and fostered a hostile work environment that took a personal and professional toll on multiple clerks.” Consequently, the council found that Judge Kindred’s actions could potentially warrant impeachment under Article II of the Constitution.
The findings were based on a review of documents from various witnesses, including text messages exchanged between Judge Kindred and his law clerks, as well as interviews with 21 individuals. The text messages highlighted the inappropriate nature of Judge Kindred’s interactions with his clerks, which often veered into sexual territory.
In response to the investigation, Judge Kindred admitted to crossing boundaries and failing to exercise appropriate conduct. He denied being the aggressor in the inappropriate relationship with the law clerk, expressing regret for not handling the situation more respectfully.
Judge Kindred, appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2019, was confirmed by the Senate in February 2020. With his resignation, President Joe Biden has the opportunity to nominate a replacement for the U.S. District Court of Alaska. The U.S. District Court of Alaska has not provided a public comment on the misconduct allegations at the time of publication. Please rewrite the following sentence:
“I am unable to attend the meeting tomorrow due to a prior commitment.”
Rewritten: “I have a prior commitment that prevents me from attending the meeting tomorrow.”
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