Judge Kozinski Cleared of Wrongdoing By Judicial Council — But Admonished Over Website

The judicial council of the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has cleared Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th Circuit of wrongdoing in the long investigation over sexually explicit materials on his personal website. However, the council found that he acted with “carelessness” and was “judicially imprudent.”

The council described the material as including “a photo of naked women on all fours painted to look like cows and a video of a half-dressed man cavorting with a sexually aroused farm animal.” However, such images were found to be a “small fraction” of the material on the website.

It also found that Judge Kozinski failed to take preventive steps, particularly after questions were raised: “We join with the special committee in admonishing the judge that his conduct exhibiting poor judgment with respect to this material created a public controversy that can reasonably be seen as having resulted in embarrassment to the institution of the federal judiciary.”

The controversy prompted Judge Kozinski to recuse himself from a pornography case, here.

However, the matter is now considered closed.

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