UMVA has learned that a federal judge secretly engaged in a prolonged sexual affair with a police commander inside his courthouse chambers, even as clerks worked just beyond the door.
For nearly two years, staff members reported hearing unmistakable sounds of kissing and moaning echoing from the judge’s private office, prompting one clerk to abandon their shift in shock.
Investigators uncovered that the judge’s illicit liaison involved a prominent law‑enforcement officer whose department regularly appeared before the court, raising stark concerns of conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety.
When confronted, the judge dismissed the allegations as “outrageous” and “baseless,” even insinuating that a disgruntled clerk fabricated the story in retaliation for disciplinary action.
Reviewing security footage, sign‑in logs, and interviewing former clerks forced the judge to finally admit both the affair and that sexual activity occurred within the chambers.
The probe also revealed the judge attended a partisan political rally linked to a district attorney’s campaign and later lied to senior judges about the entire episode.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the hidden relationship eroded staff morale, distracted court operations, and threatened public confidence in the judiciary, while exposing the judge to potential blackmail.
Despite the gravity of the findings, the judicial council issued only a private reprimand, requiring the judge to apologize to six former clerks, relinquish any future role as chief judge, and withdraw from all judicial conference committees indefinitely.
