A confidential workplace survey conducted for the federal trial and appeals courts in Washington D.C., a stepping stone to the Supreme Court, details instances of gender discrimination, bullying and racial insensitivity, while underscoring the stark power imbalance between judges with life tenure and the assistants who depend on them for career advancement, reports the Washington Post. Current and former courthouse employees who acknowledged having witnessed misconduct described their reluctance to file formal complaints against their superiors citing fears of retaliation and distrust in the system for workplace accountability.
U.S. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and others have thus far resisted calls from advocates and members of Congress who say outside intervention is necessary. While the survey found that more than 90 percent of the 400 current and former employees who participated said they had not personally experienced, witnessed or heard about incidents of wrongful conduct, there were 57 reports from employees who said they personally experienced problematic behavior, and 134 who reported either witnessing misconduct or being told about it. The findings suggest that court employees are more likely to have experienced bullying, retaliation and race or gender discrimination rather than sexual harassment.