Monday, December 11, 2017
Page 3
Washington Post:
Judge Kozinski Accused by Six Women of Improper Conduct
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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ALEX KOZINSKI Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge |
Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Alex Kozinski has been accused by six women of sexual misconduct, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
It said that Heidi Bond, who clerked for him from 2006-07, claimed that on several occasions he called her into his chambers, pulled up pornography on his computer, and queried if she were sexually aroused by it.
Kozinski was chief judge from 2007-2014.
The newspaper reported:
“Bond is one of six women — all former clerks or more junior staffers known as externs in the 9th Circuit — who alleged to The Washington Post in recent weeks that Kozinski, now 67 and still serving as a judge on the court, subjected them to a range of inappropriate sexual conduct or comments. She is one of two former clerks who said Kozinski asked them to view porn in his chambers.”
It quoted Kozinski as saying:
“I have been a judge for 35 years and during that time have had over 500 employees in my chambers. I treat all of my employees as family and work very closely with most of them. I would never intentionally do anything to offend anyone and it is regrettable that a handful have been offended by something I may have said or done.”
In 2008, it was revealed that Kozinski maintained a website with pornography on it. He said he did not know that pages were publicly available and sought to shift some of the blame for the content to his son.
No disciplinary action was taken in light of the conclusion of an investigating panel that he did not intend public viewing of the pornography he had collected. He said in testimony, as to the photos and videos:
“Some I thought were odd or funny or bizarre, but mostly I don’t have a very good reason for holding onto them. I certainly did not send them to anyone else or ask anyone to send me similar files.”
Copyright 2017, Metropolitan News Company