(StraightNews.org) – A federal judge has resigned after engaging in inappropriate behavior and lying about it to an investigation panel. A Ninth Circuit Judicial Council spokesperson announced that Joshua Kindred, appointed by the Trump administration to the US District Court for the District of Alaska in 2020, had engaged in “pervasive and abusive” sexual harassment that took “a personal and professional toll” on numerous clerks.
In a 30-page report, the Council additionally claimed that Kindred’s interactions with clerks were “abusive, oppressive, and inappropriate.”
In a subsequent resignation letter, Judge Kindred briefly stated that he would leave his role on July 8 but did not explain why. The Judicial Council confirmed it had “reprimanded” the Judge and requested his public resignation.
In addition to claims of harassment, the Council also stated that Kindred had engaged in an “unusually close relationship” with a clerk, who was not named but who later transferred to the US Attorney’s Office in Alaska. The clerk reportedly told investigators that the relationship began in 2022 when the Judge asked her to join him for a drink. She hinted that she felt pressured into a sexual relationship, saying, “I just remember thinking like there’s nothing I can do about this.”
The Council’s report included more than 700 text messages from Kindred to the clerk, as well as testimony from numerous witnesses who explained that the Judge had “no filter” when talking to female staff members. He reportedly discussed sexual matters, his romantic life, and his attractions to colleagues.
The Judicial Council will now consider whether to send Mr. Kindred to Congress for impeachment proceedings. It said he appeared not to understand the impact of his actions or how inappropriate they were. In response to investigators, Kindred insisted he was “not the aggressor” in the sexual encounter with the clerk. If he is impeached and found culpable, he will be prevented from holding elected office or taking up employment with the federal government.
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