Federal Judge Joshua Kindred Resigns Amid Hostile Work Environment and Sexual Misconduct Allegations

by Pooja Chauhan · 08/07/2024

U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred resigned after allegations of a hostile work environment and inappropriate sexual conduct with a law clerk, as detailed by the 9th Circuit Judicial Council.

Bollywood Fever: A federal judge in Alaska, U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred, abruptly resigned last week following allegations that he created a hostile work environment and engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a law clerk. The 9th Circuit Judicial Council publicly reprimanded and admonished Kindred on Monday, revealing the details of their investigation.

Judge Kindred, appointed by former President Donald Trump, submitted his resignation from his life-tenured position on Wednesday, after joining the bench in 2020. The council, in a May 23 order made public on Monday, disclosed that it had requested Kindred’s resignation while referring his case to the federal judiciary’s top policymaking body. This body could certify the matter for Congress, potentially leading to the rare impeachment of a federal judge.

“The judiciary is entrusted to self-govern and, in doing so, must hold its federal judges to the highest standards of integrity and impartiality,” Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Mary Murguia stated.

Kindred, 46, has not responded to requests for comment. In his statement to the council, he admitted, “My great sin here was the fact that during this period of time I treated my law clerks as friends rather than employees.”

The council’s 30-page order revealed that an investigation found Kindred created a hostile work environment for his clerks. He frequently used inappropriate language, discussed his sex life and their relationships, and expressed “disparaging” views of colleagues and public figures.

The investigative committee discovered Kindred had an “unusually close relationship” with one clerk. A week after she began a job in a prosecutor’s office, Kindred asked her out for drinks, kissed her, and grabbed her buttocks. Days later, the clerk reported that Kindred invited her to an apartment he was staying in, asked her to lie down on a bed with him, and performed oral sex on her.

The Judicial Council stated that Kindred later lied to the investigative committee, denying the sexual encounter with the clerk.

The council’s findings and Kindred’s subsequent resignation highlight the judiciary’s commitment to maintaining high standards of conduct among federal judges. The investigation and its outcomes serve as a reminder of the importance of integrity and accountability within the federal judiciary.

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