Consider This from NPR
When it comes to harassment, are federal judges above the law?
Mon, 03 Mar 2025
People who work for the federal court system don't have the same kinds of job protections that most other Americans do.A nearly year-long NPR investigation has found problems with the way the courts police sexual harassment and bullying...and a pervasive culture of fear about blowing the whistle. A warning to our listeners, this piece contains a description of sexual assault.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
What challenges did the Alaska law clerk face in her job?
In 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic began to shut things down, a recent law school graduate started a new job all the way across the country in Alaska. She accepted a coveted post as law clerk for a federal judge.
It's kind of like a unicorn. It's a position that follows you for the rest of your life. It's on the top of your resume. You know, people pay attention to it, especially a federal court clerkship.
The clerk hoped this job would jumpstart her career. She didn't know anyone else there, only the judge.
The judge was the HR department. The judge was my boss. The judge was a colleague. The judge was everything. He had all the power.
He started testing her boundaries early on.
It started immediately, the inappropriate conversations. There was a lot of talk, you know, about the judge's personal relationships, about sexual relationships.
She says she thought it was part of her job to listen to the judge and help him with anything. He was going through a divorce and he began to text her constantly to the point where her phone felt like an electric leash.
You know, I never had respite from being just a few text messages away from him. It was constant. It was during work. It was after work. It was all the time.
That pressure built. In the summer of 2022, things got worse.
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