State Judges

Judge Accused Of A 20-Year Spree Of Sexual Harassment Removed From The Bench

The Commission on Judicial Performance removed him unanimously.

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Jeffrey Johnson’s alleged 20-year reign of sexual harassment from his seat upon California’s District Court of Appeal has come to an end. Yesterday, the Commission on Judicial Performance ordered him removed from office.

The complaint against Johnson detailed 62 allegations of misconduct. He’s alleged to have groped a fellow judge, commented on the rear end of another, made sexual advances to multiple police officers assigned to work with him over the years, and “engaged in a pattern of poor demeanor towards colleagues and court employees.” All of which paint a picture of an entitled judge who was somehow allowed to harass the women in his professional orbit for decades and who believed his position insulated him from the consequences of his behavior.

As reported by Law.com, the commission found 18 instances of “prejudicial misconduct” which undermined the judiciary and a refusal to take responsibility for his actions:

We find that, by engaging in sexual misconduct, Justice Johnson severely undermined public esteem for the integrity of the judiciary. Treating women disrespectfully, including unwanted touching and making inappropriate sexual comments, reflects a sense of entitlement completely at odds with the canons of judicial ethics and the role of any judge. Sexual misconduct has no place in the judiciary and is an affront to the dignity of the judicial office.

Justice Johnson refused to admit his most serious sexual misconduct. Rather than take responsibility for his offensive behavior, he maligned the victims, including his colleague Justice Chaney, and accused them of testifying falsely. But it is Justice Johnson whom the masters found, and we find, testified untruthfully in many instances.

And the order found that behavior was disqualifying:

“Judges are expected to be honest, have integrity, uphold high personal standards, and treat everyone with dignity and respect, on or off the bench,” according to the order, signed by former chair of the commission Nanci Nishimura. “Justice Johnson’s conduct before, and during, this proceeding demonstrates that he does not meet these fundamental expectations.”

Johnson’s attorney said he will appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court:

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“This action snaps an unbroken string of decisions which required either a finding of willful misconduct or a violation prior discipline before removing a judicial officer,” [attorney Paul S. Meyer] said. “Not one witness ever claimed him to be unfair in any case, or anything less than brilliant. The entire matter here involved non-judicial social conversations.”

Johnson is the first appellate court justice ordered removed from office by the commission. The commission voted 9-0 for his removal.

Earlier: Judge Accused Of 20-Year Spree Of Sexual Misconduct
Judge’s 20-Year Reign Of Alleged Sexual Misconduct Goes On Trial
Judge Accused Of 20 Years Of Sexual Harassment Faces New Lawsuit

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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