Federal courts trumpet steps to protect workers after #MeToo movement

Nationwide calls for reform in the wake of the #MeToo movement have been met with insufficient urgency by the federal courts. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts’ (AO) 2023 workplace report, released this week, did nothing to quell concerns raised by law clerk advocates like LAP and lawmakers about sexual harassment and abusive conduct in the federal judiciary.

According to LAP’s President and Founder Aliza Shatzman, "with limited remedies available, no legal protection against retaliation, and, sadly, often no legal counsel to assist them, it is difficult to convince law clerks to stick their necks out and blow the whistle on misconduct," Shatzman said. "Law clerks face enormous headwinds in reporting misconduct, and the federal judiciary does not make the process any easier."

Furthermore, most of the law clerks LAP speaks with "have not and would not report misconduct because they do not believe it would be taken seriously or investigated vigorously.”