Murkowski says she supports move to impeach disgraced former Alaska federal judge

Sep. 23—U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she supports an effort to impeach former Alaska federal judge Joshua Kindred, who resigned in disgrace in July after a Judicial Conference inquiry found he had committed sexual misconduct, fostered a hostile workplace for his employees and lied about it to investigators.

"I am in complete agreement with the Judicial Conference of the United States and their recommendation that former U.S. District Judge Josh Kindred be considered for impeachment," Murkowski wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "If convicted, Mr. Kindred could be disqualified from holding future office."

Bloomberg Law previously reported that the Judicial Conference sent the U.S. House a letter outlining a potential impeachment, citing confirmation from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican.

In a case with "less egregious conduct," the Judicial Council could choose not to pursue impeachment if a judge had already resigned, the letter says. But in Kindred's case, the Judicial Council contends, "the severity of the misconduct" warrants impeachment, according to the letter.

"The Judicial Conference also recognizes that, given Judge Kindred's resignation, Congress may decline to pursue impeachment," the letter says. If the House decides against moving forward with impeachment, the letter goes on to say, "this certification may also serve as a public censure of Judge Kindred's reprehensible conduct, which has no doubt brought disrepute to the to the Judiciary and cannot constitute the 'good behavior' required of a federal judge."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized the judiciary for referring Kindred for impeachment even though he had already resigned from office, calling it a "remarkable action" and saying there is a dispute over whether former officials can be impeached after they've left office.

"They are surely aware that whether or not you can impeach a former official is hotly disputed," he said. "But they referred it anyway."

If Kindred were to be impeached, it would be historic. Congressional impeachments of federal judges are vanishingly rare: Only 15 have taken place since 1803, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

The office of U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan did not respond to a request for comment on the potential impeachment.

Murkowski also wrote that she was "aware" of a Department of Justice investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office in Anchorage. The nature of that investigation is not clear, and the U.S. Attorney's Office has not confirmed it.

"I hope it moves forward quickly, and I look forward to seeing its results," Murkowski wrote. "We must send a message that there is zero tolerance for this reprehensible behavior in our judicial system or any workplace in this country."

In Anchorage, the fallout of Kindred's tenure on the bench is still unfolding: Dozens of criminal cases where Kindred may have had a conflict of interest with attorneys involved have been identified, and defense attorneys have said they plan to challenge those cases and accused federal prosecutors of "knowing and willful suppression of information" about the conflicts.