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Posted by
Olog-hai
on Mon Dec 18 10:13:03 2017, in response to Ninth Circus: Current chief judge opens sexual misconduct probe of former chief judge Alex Kozinski, posted by Olog-hai on Fri Dec 15 00:51:02 2017.
WaPo again
Federal appeals judge announces immediate retirement amid investigation prompted by accusations of sexual misconductBy Matt Zapotosky
December 18, 2017 at 9:28 AMAlex Kozinski, the powerful judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit who was facing a judicial investigation over allegations that he subjected 15 women to inappropriate sexual behavior, announced Monday that he would retire effective immediately.
In a statement provided by his lawyer, Kozinski apologized, saying that he “had a broad sense of humor and a candid way of speaking to both male and female law clerks alike,” and that “in doing so, I may not have been mindful enough of the special challenges and pressures that women face in the workplace.”
“It grieves me to learn that I caused any of my clerks to feel uncomfortable; this was never my intent,” he said.
Kozinski, 67, said although family and friends had urged him to stay on, “at least long enough to defend myself,” he “cannot be an effective judge and simultaneously fight this battle.”
“Nor would such a battle be good for my beloved federal judiciary. And so I am making the decision to retire, effective immediately,” he said.
The announcement comes just days after The Washington Post reported that nine more women had accused Kozinski of subjecting them to sexual comments or other conduct, including four who said he touched them inappropriately. That story followed another report in The Post, which detailed the allegations of six women, including former clerks who said Kozinski had them watch porn in his chambers.
After the first report, the chief judge of the 9th Circuit initiated a review of Kozinski’s conduct, and the case was assigned Friday to the 2nd Circuit judicial council.
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