Federal judge retires amid investigation into alleged sexual harassment
A federal judge in Texas who faces an investigation into possible sexual harassment has retired.
U.S. District Judge Walter Smith Jr. began cleaning out his chambers on Monday and told co-workers that he had retired, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports. The newspaper and KWTX obtained copies of Smith’s resignation letter, which said his retirement was effective on Sept. 14.
Smith’s letter says his understanding is that he will continue to receive an annuity equal to his annual salary, which is $203,100.
Smith was reprimanded in December for sexual advances made to an employee in his chambers in 1998. In July, a committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference ordered additional investigation into whether Smith had sexually harassed other women.
Former Texas lawyer Ty Clevenger filed the initial complaint against Smith and claimed in an appeal that the reprimand was too lenient. “Well, the first thing that comes to mind is good riddance,” Clevenger told the Herald-Tribune. “It is just unfortunate it took this long and so much effort to get him to do the right thing.”
Clevenger has filed several complaints against judges and lawyers, including one against Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, according to the Tribune-Herald. Clevenger also faces ethics proceedings in the Washington, D.C., federal court, the article reports. Smith had once fined Clevenger $25,000 for filing a frivolous lawsuit.
The Garland complaint alleges Garland failed to take proper action in his role as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on a complaint Clevenger filed against a different circuit judge, Clevenger writes at his LawFlog blog. He says he opposes Garland but hopes for a confirmation hearing “to expose a bipartisan culture of corruption that pervades much of the federal judiciary.”
Hat tip to How Appealing.
