Allsion Burgess
Alex Kozinski, a California federal court judge, has decided to retire due to many accusations of sexual harassment. Kozinski claims in an interview with the New York Times that he cannot continue his job with the recent accusations.
“I cannot be an effective judge and simultaneously fight this battle,” Kozinski said. “Nor would such a battle be good for my beloved federal judiciary. And so I am making the decision to retire, effective immediately.”
Kozinski claims that his broad sense of humor is why 15 women accusing him of sexual comments, groping, hugging and kissing have spoken out. He issued an apology to his accusers.
“It grieves me to learn that I caused any of my clerks to feel uncomfortable; this was never my intent,” Kozinski said. “For this I sincerely apologize.”
the Law
This is not the first time Kozinski has been accused of inappropriate behavior. In 2008, he was caught running a website involving photos and videos of naked women painted to look like cows. Kozinski tells the New York Times that it was his son’s site, and several other people that he didn’t know have contributed to it.
“There is a ton of stuff on there,” Kozinski said. “It is not a porn site. There’s some funny stuff on there.”
Investigators are currently looking closer into the situation to see if the accusations made against him are accurate. Kozinski has officially resigned.
