Federal Judge Resigns After Probe Reveals Abusive Conduct

(ReliableNews.org) – Former President Donald Trump appointed Joshua Kindred to serve on Alaska’s US District Court in 2019, and was approved by the Senate in 2020. Within three years of his nomination, he was under investigation for abusive conduct. Now, he has resigned from the lifetime appointment on the court.

On July 8, Kindred resigned from his position on the bench. The former judge took action after an investigation that began in 2022. The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit launched the probe after the judge was accused of creating a “hostile work environment.”

According to reports, the investigation uncovered that he had an intimate relationship with one of his law clerks. He also sent lewd texts and comments to the woman. The Judicial Council accused him of having “no filter as to the topics he would discuss with the clerks.” The 46-year-old reportedly talked about his preferences when it came to dating, the intimate relations he had with women, the boyfriends of his law clerks, and his desire to talk to “potential romantic or sexual partners.”

In one instance, the judge reportedly told a law clerk that an assistant US attorney sent him nude photographs and asked what he should do. The clerk reportedly responded, “I am just a law clerk.” She told the Judicial Council that she was “devastated.”

In another instance, he began engaging in an inappropriate relationship with one of the clerks and sent them hundreds of texts during the 11 months they were involved. The woman left his office in 2022 to work as an assistant US attorney. She met with Kindred for drinks after leaving, and he offered to give her a ride home. After the drive, he said he had to stop by his chambers, kissed the woman, and grabbed her. She admitted the two of them were probably intoxicated.

The Judicial Council combed through more than 700 text messages and interviewed eyewitnesses. The report revealed that the former judge often made inappropriate comments. The council asked Kindred to resign from his position.