U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred in Alaska has resigned after a judicial investigation unveiled an inappropriate sexual relationship with a former clerk and subsequent falsehoods about it.
AP News reported that this resignation leaves the U.S. District Court for Alaska with only one full-time judge and could lead to impeachment proceedings against him.
Kindred's resignation, effective Monday, July 8, 2024, followed a judicial investigation launched by Chief Circuit Judge Mary H. Murguia in November 2022.
The investigation revealed an inappropriate relationship with a former clerk, now an assistant U.S. Attorney, and Kindred's persistent dishonesty.
The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit Court requested Kindred's resignation and referred the matter to the Judicial Conference of the United States for possible impeachment proceedings
. A 105-page report, accompanied by 1,039 pages of exhibits, detailed Kindred's misconduct, including 700 pages of text messages with his former clerk.
The findings reported that Kindred created a hostile work environment, frequently discussing highly personal topics with his clerks. On October 3, 2022, he engaged in an inappropriate incident with the former clerk in his chambers shortly after her official transition to an assistant U.S. Attorney. A sexual encounter followed at her apartment four days later.
Throughout the investigation, Kindred repeatedly lied about these incidents.
His interactions with another assistant U.S. Attorney in Alaska, who sent him nude photographs and engaged in suggestive text conversations with clerks, added to the council's concern.
The report highlighted various instances demonstrating Kindred's disregard for ethical conduct. "He discussed his past dating life, his romantic preferences, his sex life, the law clerks’ boyfriends and dating lives, his divorce, his interest in and communications with potential romantic or sexual partners, and his disparaging opinions of his colleagues,” the report said.
Kindred also once texted, "So it looks like I might need a judicial Tinder profile."
With Kindred’s departure, U.S. District Chief Judge Sharon Gleason becomes the only full-time judge on the Alaska federal bench. Alaska’s third judicial position has remained vacant since Judge Timothy Burgess transitioned to senior status on December 31, 2021.
There are currently four senior judges in Alaska who manage a reduced caseload. However, the shortage of full-time judges impacts the court's functioning, as District Judges are required to oversee felony criminal trials, while magistrate judges can preside over civil trials only with all parties' consent.
Chief Judge Gleason is set to absorb Kindred’s caseload, amounting to 77 open criminal cases and 148 civil cases. Seven cases in the Juneau division will be reassigned to Judge Burgess.
Given the severity of the findings and Kindred's deceit during the investigation, the situation may lead to impeachment proceedings against him. The Judicial Conference of the United States will review the case following the Judicial Council's referral.
The U.S. Attorney for Alaska, S. Tucker Lane, has not commented on possible investigations into these matters. Reagan Zimmerman, a spokesperson, reported that there would be no additional comments on personnel issues at this time.
Former President Donald Trump appointed Kindred to the bench in 2020. The investigation began in 2022, following allegations of misconduct that led to an extensive examination of his conduct and workplace environment.
"He undertook all these actions without any regard for the impact of and the ethical issues raised by his conduct," the report emphasized. "He remains strikingly unaware that he was the source of all these issues."
Judge Joshua Kindred’s resignation amid an extensive judicial investigation highlights significant ethical breaches and their repercussions.
His resignation leaves the U.S. District Court for Alaska critically short-staffed with only one full-time judge managing an extensive caseload. This situation underscores potential gaps in judicial conduct monitoring and may lead to impeachment proceedings, further impacting the state's judicial system.
