U.S. Courts Will Review Rules After Sexual Harassment Claims

(Bloomberg) -- The federal judiciary will examine its practices for responding to claims of sexual harassment, U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said weeks after a prominent appellate judge retired amid a misconduct inquiry.

“Events in recent months have illuminated the depth of the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace, and events in the past few weeks have made clear that the judicial branch is not immune,” Roberts wrote in his annual year-end message released by the Supreme Court on Sunday.

Judge Alex Kozinski of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals retired on Dec. 18 following news reports that more than a dozen women, including some former law clerks, accused him of groping them, showing them pornography, and making off-color comments. Kozinski, the former chief judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit, apologized and said he couldn't be an effective judge while dealing with an investigation.

Roberts's message didn't mention Kozinski by name. The chief justice said he's asked the director of the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts to assemble a working group to consider whether changes are needed in the judiciary's code of conduct, its guidance to employees about reporting misconduct and rules for investigating complaints.

“These concerns warrant serious attention from all quarters of the judicial branch,” he said.

“I have great confidence in the men and women who comprise our judiciary,” Roberts wrote. “I am sure that the overwhelming number have no tolerance for harassment and share the view that victims must have clear and immediate recourse to effective remedies.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Laurie Asséo in Washington at lasseo1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Mark Niquette, Ros Krasny

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