Courts

70+ Former Reinhardt Clerks Come Out In Support Of Sexual Harassment Accuser

Some also say they experienced or witnessed inappropriate behavior too.

By  
on
Stephen Reinhardt

Stephen Reinhardt

The aftershocks of Olivia Warren’s testimony continue to shake the legal world. As a quick recap, Warren testified at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on sexual misconduct in the federal judiciary about the downright shocking inappropriate behavior she experienced working as a Ninth Circuit clerk for the “liberal lion,” the late Judge Stephen Reinhardt.

Now comes a statement from 72 former Reinhardt clerks in support of Warren. The signatories span the length of Reinhardt’s judicial career, from 1983 to 2017. And they do not mince words:

We believe the clerk’s testimony that she experienced inappropriate conduct, including sexual harassment. We are thankful to the clerk for her courage in speaking out about her experience.

The statement did not provide any additional details or allegations of harassment by Judge Reinhardt. It did, however, indicate that at least some of the signatories experienced or witnessed sexist behavior, bullying or other mistreatment in chambers:

Some of us experienced or witnessed conduct in chambers that we would call sexist, workplace bullying or mistreatment. Others did not. Most of us were as shocked as the rest of the world to learn of the clerk’s experience in Judge Reinhardt’s final year. All of us, whatever our personal experience, are united that no clerk should have to go through this kind of ordeal and that it is important to stand with those who speak out about it.

The statement also tackles the difficult question of what should be done about harassment in the federal judiciary:

Sponsored

We hope that the Judicial Conference — and, if need be, Congress — will take bold steps to ensure that all judges and judicial personnel will be trained in principles of antidiscrimination and anti-harassment; to implement an effective system for reporting and responding to complaints of discrimination and harassment; and to protect law clerks and other personnel from such mistreatment. It is past time to extend the protections of Title VII, or their equivalent, to the judicial branch. There is no justification for a system in which antidiscrimination law applies to all except those who interpret and enforce it.

Statements of support like this are incredibly important, particularly as the profession grapples with what to do about the problem.

Read the full statement on the next page.

Sponsored

1 2Next »

Topics

, , , ,