A California court hired a firm to investigate complaints against a state appellate court judge, California's chief justice said Monday.
Tani Cantil-Sakauye said during a meeting with reporters that the 6th District Court of Appeal based in San Jose sought legal advice from the policymaking body of the state court system and hired a firm to look into allegations against Justice Conrad Rushing, who served as the 6th district's head judge.
The San Jose Mercury News reported last week that a confidential report commissioned by the judiciary concluded in May that over the previous decade, Rushing had looked at nude images of women in his chambers and made overly personal comments about female employees' appearance, attire and bodies. The report also found that Rushing treated male attorneys who worked for the court more favorably than female attorneys, according to the Mercury News.
Rushing retired on Oct. 31, and Cantil-Sakauye said the investigation into his behavior has been resolved. The Associated Press could not immediately locate a phone number for Rushing.
Cantil-Sakauye said the investigation was protected by attorney-client privilege, so she was not aware of its findings. Rushing's letter informing her that he was leaving the bench came as a "surprise," she said.
The chief justice spoke about Rushing's case during a broader discussion about sexual harassment and discrimination. She said she's been called "sugar," ''honey" and "girl" during her legal career.
"What's happening now harkens back to all the things you learned in kindergarten," she said. "Keep your hands to yourself. Don't say anything that you wouldn't want said to yourself and behave."
