Judge Wants Panel to Investigate His Own Pornographic Postings

The criminal prosecution of alleged pornographer Ira Isaacs was suspended after it turned into a personal issue for presiding judge, Alex Kozinski, who called for an investigation into his own conduct regarding lewd photos and videos stored on his family's then-publicly accessible website. Justice Kozinski, Chief Judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asked an ethics panel of the court to initiate proceedings after the disclosure about a collection of sexually explicit material found in a cache of the website content.

Although he requested an investigation, it is unclear what, if any, discipline Justice Kozinski could face. Federal Circuit judges are appointed for life and can be fired only by Congress, although their fellow jurists can censure them. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was asked to assign the inquiry to a panel of judges outside the 9th Circuit's jurisdiction. Court rules permit such investigations to be transferred in high-profile cases or when a decision within a district might weaken public confidence in the outcome.

Another issue is that Kozinksi’s name had been mentioned as a possible Supreme Court candidate. However, the investigation will raise the issue as to whether content on a judge’s personal website is something that can affect public confidence in the impartiality and integrity of that judge and the judiciary as a whole.

For more information, visit:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080612/ap_on_re_us/obscenity_or_art

Volume VI

Judge Wants Panel to Investigate His Own Pornographic Postings