Judges admit having sex in chambers

If Camp hadn't been found guilty, he might have kept his job. The only way to remove a federal judge from the bench is via the long and complicated impeachment process and then a trial in the U.S. Senate.

In California, two state judges are further proof that judges seem to live a life above common workplace policy.

The Orange County Register tells us Superior Court Judge Scott Steiner was censured for having sex in his chambers on multiple occasions with two of his former law students.

"Engaging in sexual intercourse in the courthouse is the height of irresponsible and improper behavior by a judge," wrote the California Commission on Judicial Performance in disciplining Steiner.

One woman the married Steiner admitted having sex with was a practicing attorney. Another was an intern. He had sex at least three times in his chambers, twice while the courthouse was open for business.

Steiner will likely win another 6-year term in 2017, said one political expert.

In another case, Kern County Superior Court Judge Cory Woodward had an almost yearlong affair with his court clerk and only admitted it after her husband became a courthouse "security concern."

The Bakersfield Californian says the married Woodward repeatedly "misled his bosses about the relationship when confronted and fought to keep the woman in his courtroom when administrators tried to move her to another judge's staff."

Woodward and the clerk "had sex in the judge’s chambers and in public places," the news article says without providing juicy details.

Woodward too, was censured by the judicial commission.

What does censure actually do? Not much. It's just a public airing of misdeeds.

In most states, a state judge can only be removed by the state Legislature, an election, or a judicial commission, but the commission's decision can be overruled by judges that make up the state Supreme Court.

So, who ultimately judges the misdeeds of judges? As we learned in the case of Jack Camp, other judges do. I trust they will be as kind to us as they are to each other.

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