A recent nationwide survey conducted by the U.S. federal judiciary has revealed that over 8% of its employees experienced sexual harassment, discrimination, or other forms of abusive conduct at work.
This finding is part of a broader set of data from the survey, which was released on Monday and has informed new recommendations for reforms to improve how the courts handle workplace misconduct.
The anonymous survey was conducted in 2023 by the Federal Judiciary Workplace Conduct Working Group, established in 2018 at the request of Chief Justice John Roberts following the #MeToo movement. Lawmakers and advocacy groups had urged the judiciary to release the survey results to better address workplace harassment.
The working group has guided the judiciary in implementing changes to address misconduct allegations among its 30,000 employees, particularly after sexual harassment allegations surfaced against prominent federal judges.
However, U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson noted that only 42% of surveyed employees were willing to report misconduct, indicating a need for further reforms.
Of the 13,895 employees surveyed, 34.7% reported experiencing inappropriate behavior, such as being belittled or addressed unprofessionally.
The survey found that 8.3% experienced wrongful conduct, including discriminatory harassment or employment discrimination. Allegations of judges harassing law clerks have prompted calls for statutory protections, as judiciary employees are not covered by federal anti-discrimination laws.
The survey revealed that wrongful conduct was most often committed by managers or supervisors, not judges. Among law clerks and staff in judges’ chambers, only 4.6% reported experiencing wrongful conduct, significantly lower than in other areas like federal defender offices.
The working group has proposed recommendations to clarify what constitutes wrongful conduct and to revise internal dispute resolution systems. These changes could potentially allow employees to recover damages and attorneys’ fees, which is currently not possible due to legal limitations.
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