Sex Photo Judge Wants Ethics Probe Of Self

Federal Judge Alex Kozinski Asks Ethics Panel To Investigate Himself Over Lewd Pics On Family Site

(AP)  The criminal prosecution of a hard-core pornographer turned into a personal trial for the presiding judge, who called for an investigation Thursday into his own conduct over lewd photos and videos stored on his family's publicly accessible Web site.

Alex 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 his trove of sexually explicit material.

"I will cooperate fully in any investigation," Kozinski said in a statement.

Kozinski, 57, left court Wednesday without comment after suspending the trial of Ira Isaacs, who is charged with obscenity for selling movies depicting bestiality and fetishes involving feces and urination. The delay until Monday will give lawyers time to consider whether to ask for Kozinski to step down from the case.

The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Kozinski had posted sexual material on his personal Web site and then blocked access after being interviewed about it Tuesday evening. He told the Times he was responsible for posting at least some of the images and videos.

The computerized cache included a picture of two nude women on all fours painted to look like Holstein dairy cows, images of masturbation, a video of a man being pursued by a sexually aroused donkey and a slide show featuring a striptease with a transsexual.

"If you found this kind of thing in your kid's bedroom you would wash your kid's mouth out with soap. We expect more from a judge," said Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor and law professor at Loyola University Law School. "Character counts for judges because they have so much power and affect so many people's lives."

Kozinski who has been mentioned as a possible Supreme Court candidate, is known for his intellectual rigor, writing flourishes and an outlandish - some say boorish - personality.

But the graphic material has opened questions about his fitness to serve on the high-profile obscenity case as well as the standard for what types of images are taboo, particularly on a judge's personal Web site.

Although he requested an investigation, it's unclear what, if any, discipline Kozinski could face. Circuit judges are appointed for life and can be fired only by Congress, though fellow jurists can censure them.

Kozinski did not immediately respond to a request for an interview Thursday.

The judge, a married father of three sons, claims to build his own computers but told the Los Angeles Times he didn't know the Web site was accessible to Internet surfers. One of his sons, Yale Kozinski, later told The New York Times that the site is registered to him and he maintains it, but neither father nor son made clear who posted the images in question.

Federal rules say judges should "act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary." But does material on a judge's personal Web site cross that line?

"Even if it is private, the problem for him is the cat is out of the bag," said Tom Fitton, president of conservative Judicial Watch. "You're going to have questions about his impartiality."

But Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the law school at University of California, Irvine, said the material would not permanently harm Kozinski's reputation.

"It's much ado about very little," Chemerinsky said. "There is no indication that this material is even close to obscenity."

Cyrus Sanai, a Beverly Hills lawyer who has had a long-running dispute with the 9th Circuit, took credit for bringing the graphic material to light.

Sanai said he discovered the sexual content in December while monitoring the judge's Web site as part of his legal rift with the court. After downloading the files, Sanai said he began contacting reporters at various publications in January to bring attention to what he called widespread ethical problems on the 9th Circuit.

He provided a copy of the files to The Associated Press on Wednesday, which appeared to mirror the Times' descriptions of videos and pictures on the Web site.

[curious_mind]

I have an interesting theory on this situation.
Kozinski would like to be on the supreme court. It is unlikely he would be confirmed as it stood a few weeks ago before the pseudoporn. Here is a scenario on how the two could be related.
Plot A:
Kozinski gets the probe he welcomes and of course is cleared because it is a very narrowly focused probe.
He is then nominated for the Supreme Court.
His backers tell everyone that because he has already been investigated and cleared that he should not be subject to a new investigation. They ommit to say that the probe was bery narrowly focused.
Everyone misses the point and he is confirmed.
This all happens quickly so he is in before anyone catches on that he may not be everything they would want in a Justice.
Plan B
Everything like before but someone notices and it looks like he won''t be confirmed so he becoems a diversion and his exploits are in the news while a backup nominee is slipped in while everyone watches Kozinski.

[terrorislami]

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain. John Adams

[terrorislami]

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." Albert Einstein

%u201CAdmittedly there is a risk in any course we follow other than this, but every lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face--that their policy of accommodation is appeasement, and it gives no choice between peace and war, only between fight and surrender.%u201D (President Reagan, 1964. Rendezvous with Destiny)

[terrorislami]

USA''''''''s PLEDGE 2 THE WORLD GIVEN BY JFK!!

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961

"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961

"Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom. The cause of liberty, the cause of American, cannot succeed with any lesser effort."-- President John F. Kennedy, January 29, 1961

One ought never to turn one''''''''s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Winston Churchill

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." Albert Einstein

All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing. Edmund Burke

[terrorislami]

Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves. ~D.H. Lawrence, Classical American Literature, 1922

[Latrocinor]

Better yet all judges must be good Puritains.

[Latrocinor]

Ban s.e.x. Outlaw it. Prohibit it. All Judges must be eunuchs or the female equivalent. All donkeys must be in diapers.

This judge wants to be probed, so be it.

[terrorislami]

TAKE NO PRISONERS,,,

we have defeated fascist nazi terrorislam before,,,

after america became a country,,, fascist nazi terrorislam demanded that america pay protection money or they would attack americas ships and enslave all on board,,,

thomas jefferson and james madison was having non of that,,, and they sent americas military to kick fascist nazi terrorislams arses in barbary war one and barbary war two,,, why two wars,,, fascist nazi terrorislamists break treaties,,, sound familiar??? can you say iraq,,,

It is a settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute. The United States, while they wish for war with no nation, will buy peace with none. President James Madison

[libh8er]

''a video of a man being pursued by a sexually aroused donkey''

My God, what have we devolved in to as a society? No wonder those towel heads refer to us as ''the great Satan.'' I''m beginning to understand their position a little better.

[germanmom]

USCITIZENVET, I wholeheartedly agree with you! Kozinski needs to recuse himself. Maybe he thinks this is common behavior and has no effect on a person, but it does, absolutely. Millions and millions of people do live with standards of conduct and it reflects in the goodness of their lives. In my opinion, his abilities would grow in quantum leaps if he were to clean up his life.

[terrorislami]

THE NATION WILL LIVE TO REGRET WHAT THE COURT HAS DONE TODAY,,,

VOTE DEMONIC-RAT AT YOUR PERIL,,,

DEMONIC-RAT UN-SUPREME COURT JUDGES TRASH THE CONSTITUTION,,,

Scalia asserted that the decision will have dire consequences. He warned that some detainees will be freed and return to war against America: "The nation will live to regret what the court has done today."

Supreme Court maintains post-9/11 course on Gitmo
The Supreme Court''''s 5-4 decision Thursday declaring for the first time that Guantanamo detainees have a constitutional right to a hearing in U.S. courts is a milestone. It also reinforces a familiar court pattern in the post-9/11 world of insisting on judicial review of detainee cases.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2008-06-12-court-pattern_N.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/12/supremecourt/main4175226.shtml

[flagship-usa]

USCITIZENVET at 10:09 AM : You could also critique his taste in music, theater and art..etc.

[uscitizenvet]

When you''re in a position of authority and can sit in judgement over other people that effects the outcome of the rest of their life, there shouldn''t be "any" skeletons in your closet! Your morals and personal beliefs should be beyond reproach. A judge like this one does not belong in his position!

[flagship-usa]

Is having s.e.x with each other, a problem in our culture...or maybe we just like making fun of it?

[flagship-usa]

Did something illegal happen here? Anyway, I would rather have someone who is "normal" reviewing my conduct, than some one who places themselves above everyone else''s behavior. When was the last time you were entertained by pictures of naked men/women.

[texanforlogi]

Posted by Zendigity at 07:52 AM : Jun 13, 2008


Excellent post! I agree wholeheartedly!

[antoniof123]

Posted by terrorislami at 07:51 AM : Jun 13, 2008

Is your name really Rush or Bill or maybe Anne?

God you neo cons are getting more desprate by the day.

[cockapoo11]

Republicans can find fault with anybody and everybody but themselves.

[zendigity]

Why does the world have to cater to the religious nutjobs that are afraid of the human body?

Seriously, it''s just sad how self righteous and judgmental so called people of faith have become.

This trial was a stupid waste of taxpayer money to begin with...now the se*ually repressed conservatives are going to turn it into a circus to draw attention away from their airport bathroom rendezvous and alter boys.

But hey, thank god we aren''t focusing on all the real crimes going on all around us...

[terrorislami]

THE NATION WILL LIVE TO REGRET WHAT THE COURT HAS DONE TODAY,,,

VOTE DEMONIC-RAT AT YOUR PERIL,,,

DEMONIC-RAT UN-SUPREME COURT JUDGES TRASH THE CONSTITUTION,,,

Scalia asserted that the decision will have dire consequences. He warned that some detainees will be freed and return to war against America: "The nation will live to regret what the court has done today."

Supreme Court maintains post-9/11 course on Gitmo
The Supreme Court''s 5-4 decision Thursday declaring for the first time that Guantanamo detainees have a constitutional right to a hearing in U.S. courts is a milestone. It also reinforces a familiar court pattern in the post-9/11 world of insisting on judicial review of detainee cases.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2008-06-12-court-pattern_N.htm