Chief judge will review harass regs
WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts used his annual report on the federal judiciary Sunday to promise a careful evaluation of its sexual misconduct policies and to highlight the work of court employees following the year’s destructive hurricanes.
Roberts touched only briefly on the issue of workplace sexual misconduct. In December, prominent federal appeals Judge Alex Kozinski retired following accusations by women that he had touched them inappropriately and made lewd comments.
“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, not mentioning Kozinski by name.
Roberts had previously asked that a working group examine the judiciary’s workplace conduct policies, with a report expected by May 1.