Alaska federal judge resigns as toxic workplace, sexual relations ID'd in misconduct probe

A federal judge in Alaska resigned Monday after an investigation found he violated the code of conduct in several ways, including having an inappropriate relationship with a law clerk in his office.

Appointed by former president Donald Trump, U.S. District Court Judge Joshua M. Kindred issued a letter to President Joe Biden on July 3, stating his intent to resign as of Monday. He was confirmed in early 2020. The findings of a Ninth Circuit investigation into Kindred's conduct were also published Monday and show a Judicial Council asked him to resign voluntarily.

The council concluded Kindred created a hostile work environment by demonstrating "offensive and abusive" behavior, had an "inappropriately sexualized relationship," with a law clerk that continued when she became a prosecutor, and lied to the court during the investigation, according to the release.

“The Judiciary is entrusted to self-govern and, in doing so, must hold its federal judges to the highest standards of integrity and impartiality," said Chief Circuit Judge Mary H. Murguia in a statement. "In all respects, this was a serious and sensitive matter."

The council also requested that Kindred be considered for impeachment by the U.S. Judicial Conference.

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Investigation found Kindred had 'no filter' with employees

The judicial misconduct order and certification published Monday included approximately 30 pages of findings by the court, based in part on interviews with court staff and witnesses, and more than 700 pages of text messages between Kindred and his law clerks.

The investigation showed "Judge Kindred appeared to have no filter as to the topics he would discuss with the clerks. He discussed his past dating life, his romantic preferences, his sex life, the law clerks’ boyfriends and dating lives, his divorce, his interest in and communications with potential romantic or sexual partners, and his disparaging opinions of his colleagues," the order states.

Members of the office who confronted Kindred about his behavior were ostracized, according to the order

The misconduct investigation also focuses on Kindred's relationship with one law clerk, which the council determined was "unusually close."

“Nothing is real until I talk to you about it. But why am I so needy? What’s wrong with me?,” Kindred told the clerk in on of several text messages included in the order.

Kindred initially denied having two sexual encounters with the clerk, but the court's investigation found his denials to be false based on text messages between the two parties and his own subsequent admissions.

Kindred blames pandemic, divorce, and says he saw court staff as friends

In written and oral arguments to the court, Kindred said he did not have time to observe his colleagues in person for long before the courthouse shut down due to the pandemic. He also said that he was going through a divorce and began to rely on those in his office for personal support and vice versa.

"I think my great sin here was the fact that during this period of time I treated my law clerks as friends rather than employees,” Kindred said, arguing that he failed to maintain the boundary with those around him but did not insert himself in his employees' lives.

The court found that, while some clerks did initiate or reciprocate personal relationships with Kindred, the power imbalance in their relationship and the clerks' desire to maintain good standing with him may have driven their behavior.

Under questioning, Kindred also admitted to sexual conduct with the law clerk at the center of the investigation, which he had previously denied. He also said he was "not the aggressor," in a written statement to the court.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Federal judge in Alaska Joshua Kindred resigns after misconduct report