California

Prominent US Judge Retires Amid Sexual Misconduct Accusations

"I may not have been mindful enough of the special challenges and pressures that women face in the workplace," Judge Alex Kozinski said in a statement

A prominent U.S. appeals court judge announced his retirement Monday days after women alleged he subjected them to inappropriate sexual conduct or comments.

Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a statement that a battle over the accusations would not be good for the judiciary. He said he'll step down, effective immediately.

The Washington Post reported last week that at least 15 women made allegations against Kozinski that go back decades. The allegations include inappropriate touching and lewd comments.

Kozinski said while speaking in a "candid way" with male and female law clerks, "I may not have been mindful enough of the special challenges and pressures that women face in the workplace," the statement said. "It grieves me to learn that I caused any of my clerks to feel uncomfortable; this was never my intent. For this I sincerely apologize."

Emily Murphy, an associate professor at the University of California, Hastings in San Francisco, said she is coming forward now because people are starting to listen. She also hopes to bring about change for her students.

"I have a young daughter and have to look ahead to the world she will enter," Murphy said. "And want to be able to tell her that I said something when I thought something needed to be said."

Murphy in an interview with NBC Bay Area said Kozinski suggested she exercise naked at the office gym and made the comments in front of law clerks at a social gathering. Murphy said she did not clerk for Kozinski, but met him at other events.

Leah Litman, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, told the Post that the judge talked about having just had sex and pinched her side and leg at a restaurant the night before they appeared together on a panel at her school in July.

Christine Miller, a retired U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge, said Kozinski grabbed her breasts during a car ride in 1986 after a legal community function in the Baltimore area. She said it came after she declined his offer to go to a motel and have sex.

A lawyer who was not identified said Kozinski approached her when she was alone at a legal event in Los Angeles in 2008 and kissed her on the lips and gave her a bear hug with no warning.

The newspaper said the woman's husband confirmed the incident and said the couple didn't think they could do anything because of the judge's position.

The Post reported last week that six former clerks or more junior staff members accused Kozinski of inappropriate behavior, including showing them pornography.

Kozinski, 67, was chief judge of the 9th Circuit, the largest federal appeals court circuit in the country, from 2007 to 2014. He is known for his irreverent opinions, and his clerks often win prestigious clerkships at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The 9th Circuit has opened a misconduct inquiry that was transferred Friday to the Judicial Council of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

NBC Bay Area's Anser Hassan contributed to this report.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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