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A married federal judge repeatedly had sex with a law enforcement officer inside courthouse chambers while clerks worked just outside the office door, then falsely denied the affair when confronted, a judicial misconduct report alleges.
Multiple clerks overheard “kissing sounds,” “moaning” and other sounds consistent with sexual activity coming from the judge’s private office over a period spanning roughly two years, the judicial complaint filed in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals stated.
One clerk reported hearing the officer say the word “affair,” while another described being so disturbed by the noises that the clerk left work for the day.
The report did not provide the name or gender of the U.S. District Court judge.
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A gavel rests on legal books next to a Themis statue on a judge’s desk. (iStock)
Investigators found the judge engaged in “gross lack of judgment” by conducting the alleged affair with a prominent police commander whose department regularly appeared in federal court, creating what the panel called the possibility of conflicts of interest or the appearance of impropriety.
The judge initially denied the allegations, calling them “outrageous” and “baseless,” and suggested a law clerk fabricated the claims in retaliation for workplace discipline.
A gavel, legal books, and a statue of Themis are displayed on a judge’s desk. (iStock)
Investigators reviewed courthouse security footage and sign-in logs, and interviewed former clerks before the judge later admitted to both the affair and having sexual intercourse inside chambers, according to the complaint.
The report also found the judge attended a partisan political event tied to a district attorney’s campaign and later made false statements to Chief Judge William Pryor and the court’s chief district judge during the investigation.
Investigators said the judge’s alleged conduct distracted staff, damaged workplace morale and risked undermining public confidence in the judiciary. The report further warned that the undisclosed affair left the judge vulnerable to potential blackmail because the relationship was hidden from the judge’s spouse and colleagues.
A judge’s gavel rests near scales of justice and law books, symbolizing the legal system. (Brian A. Jackson/South Florida Sun Sentinell)
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Despite the findings, the judicial council issued only a private reprimand. The judge also agreed to apologize to six former clerks, give up any future opportunity to serve as chief judge and indefinitely refrain from serving on judicial conference committees.