I previously wrote about Judge Sam Kent here and here. He was a Federal Judge in Galveston, Texas. Even before the allegations arose, he was known as a bullying sort of judge and one who was generally opposed to discrimination lawsuits. Allegations arose that he was harassing female members of his staff. He attacked
Many lay persons have this idyllic view of the judicial system that judges are sober, thoughtful and the jury members even more so. But, judges and jury members are human, after all. Indeed, many members of the jury, like many citizens at large, are skeptical about claims of discrimination. Judges are no different. In fact,
Lilly Ledbetter sued her employer for pay disparities which had occurred over years. She worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber for decades. She sued based on the Equal Pay Act, a federal statute. She lost. The U.S. Supreme Court found that she sued too late. The statute of limitations required her to sue within
Cathy McBroom is headed back to Galveston with a promotion. See Texas Lawyer story. Ms. McBroom was one of the ladies complaining about Sam Kent’s sexual harassment. Judge Kent later accepted a plea bargain and is doing 33 months in a federal penitentiary. Ms. McBroom had been Judge Kent’s Case Manager. She was transferred
Judge Kent decided to resign, after all. Apparently, he decided resignation was safer than impeachment. Judge Kent, you will recall, was essentially found guilty of sexually harassing his court staff. I discussed his case a couple of times before.
One question that frequently comes up is what constitutes "sex harassment." That has been a very important question in the proceedings against a federal judge. Judge Sam Kent was sent to jail for 33 months for abusing his position and harassing female subordinates. Certainly, his actions, groping females, was clearly sex harassment. But, generally, any