Ex-Defender Says Was ‘Vilified’ When She Reported Harassment
Three former judiciary employees, including one suing for sex bias, told Congress about failures of the courts' system for reporting workplace harassment and misconduct, and backed proposed legislation to hold it accountable.
Caryn Devins Strickland, a former federal public defender who brought sex discrimination claims against the judiciary, told a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Thursday that she was once a respected employee but was "vilified and ostracized" after reporting harassment.
"The only thing that changed was that I had made a complaint," said Strickland, who had previously clerked for two federal judges and served as a Supreme Court fellow at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which oversees judiciary operations.
Strickland, who had been referred to in court documents only as Jane Roe, shed her pseudonym a day before the hearing. "Though I fear further retaliation, I am testifying publicly because you, as a co-equal branch of government, have the power to provide judiciary employees like me meaningful protections from harassment and discrimination," Strickland said.
The judiciary has been under pressure to change internal procedures for misconduct reporting following multiple #MeToo-era complaints about inappropriate behavior by judges and other staff. Although the judiciary has taken steps to improve its internal process, advocates say the system remains flawed and isn't a replacement for civil rights protections that judiciary workers currently lack. Congress is threatening to step in with legislation, which the judiciary is resisting.