OH NO, ONE OF OURS – AT 11:58 A.M. ET:  A major conservative judge, a Reagan appointee, has been caught up in the latest round of sex charges.  From NPR: 

Six women have accused a federal appeals court judge of sexual misconduct, according to The Washington Post. Alex Kozinski serves on the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and was formerly that court's chief judge.

Heidi Bond, who clerked for Kozinski in 2006 and 2007, said he called her into his office and showed her pornography on his computer. He asked her if she thought the images were "photoshopped." He asked her if they turned her on.

Bond, who now authors romance novels under the name Courtney Milan, wrote on her website that such incidents happened at least three times. She wrote that he also showed her a chart he made in college showing all the women he had had sex with and telling her not to tell any of the other clerks about it. She wrote about the incidents: "When this happened, I felt like a prey animal—as if I had to make myself small. If I did, if I never admitted to having any emotions at all, I would get through it."

A woman named Emily Murphy, who clerked for a different judge on the 9th circuit, told The Washington Post of an incident when she was having a conversation about exercise with some other clerks. Kozinski interrupted to say that she should work out naked. According to Murphy and two others who were present, she tried to switch the subject without success.

COMMENT:  In truth, he has been in trouble before, once for maintaining a collection of pornographic images that had been sent to him.  An ethics investigation found that he had handled the collection too loosely, but his apology ended the matter.

Kozinski was once considered a hot Supreme Court prospect, but some odd behavior ended that dream.  These new charges are the chickens coming home to roost.  It's too bad.  He's a brilliant jurist.

December 9, 2017