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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — Responding to the retirement of a prominent appeals court judge accused of sexual harassment, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said the federal court system must do more to protect law clerks and other employees from abusive conduct. “Events in recent months have illuminated the depth of the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace,” the chief justice wrote in his year-end report on the state of the federal judiciary, released Sunday, “and events in the past few weeks have made clear that the judicial branch is not immune.” That was an unmistakable reference to the sudden retirement of Judge Alex Kozinski two weeks ago after The Washington Post reported that some 15 women had accused him of sexual harassment. Judge Kozinski had served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for more than three decades, establishing a reputation as a powerful and unpredictable intellect and a vivid writer. The women, many of whom had served as his law clerks, said Judge Kozinski had touched them inappropriately, made unwanted sexual comments and forced them to view sexual materials on his computer. In announcing his retirement, Judge Kozinski suggested that he had been misunderstood and apologized. “I’ve always had a broad sense of humor and a candid way of speaking to both male and female law clerks alike,” he wrote. “In doing so, I may not have been mindful enough of the special challenges and pressures that women face in the workplace.” Ch... Link to the full article to read more