A federal judge in Alaska resigned on July 3 after facing allegations of sexual misconduct following an investigation.
U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Kindred has faced calls to resign over the allegations. NBC News The report, released Monday, said he had an “inappropriate sexual relationship” with a law clerk.
Nine-member Judicial CouncilNumber The circuit court explained Kindred’s reasons for firing him as follows: Court Order“We conclude that Judge Kindred’s misconduct was pervasive and abusive, constituted sexual harassment, fostered a hostile work environment, and caused personal and professional harm to multiple clerks,” the order reads. (Related article: Judge acquits disgraced superstar chef accused of sexual misconduct)
The order cited an incident in October 2022 in which the former judge allegedly kissed and groped a former law clerk who had begun working for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In another incident, the former store employee accused Kindred of “making a move on me” and performing oral sex on her after he asked her to accompany him to someone else’s apartment.
“It is entirely appropriate that Kindred has resigned. Judges are held to the highest standards and Kindred has fallen well below those standards,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in a statement.
It is entirely appropriate that Mr. Kindred tender his resignation, as ordered and certified by the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council. Judges must be held to the highest standards, and Mr. Kindred has fallen far below those standards. I have acted swiftly to…
— Senator Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) July 8, 2024
The investigation included interviews with Kindred’s former colleagues and pages of text messages documenting instances of his alleged inappropriate behavior toward other employees, finding that he “was comfortable using inappropriate language in the workplace, including encouraging people to evaluate others based on their ‘sexual ability,’ saying he wasn’t a ‘knowless whore,’ and talking about ‘having prostitutes work in my hot tub.'”
“In the few instances in which clerks have visited Judge Kindred to discuss his inappropriate behavior, they have been met with contempt or expulsion, and in one instance a clerk has resigned from his clerkship,” the order states.
