Remember
former
Trump-appointed
District
Court
Judge
Joshua
Kindred?
The
federal
judge
who
managed
to
flame
out
of
his
lifetime
gig
in
record
speed
—
four
years
—
as
if
he’d
taken
the
bench
with
a
personal
mission
to
prove
that
vetting
is
for
suckers?
Yeah.
That
guy.
Well,
the
final
chapter
of
his
professional
unraveling
just
dropped,
and
it’s
pretty
much
exactly
what
you’d
expect:
disbarment.
Earlier
this
month,
the
Alaska
Supreme
Court
made
it
official.
In
a
November
7
order,
they
handed
down
Kindred’s
disbarment
(as
recommended
by
the
Alaska
Bar
Association’s
Disciplinary
Board)
like
a
slow-moving,
ethics-soaked
anvil.
In
yet
another
weird
twist
in
a
case
that
has
had
more
than
its
fair
share,
disciplinary
authorities
say
Kindred
never
responded
to
the
proceedings.
Not
a
filing,
not
an
appearance,
not
even
a
“new
phone
who
dis.”
Even
better,
he
allegedly
was
home
when
process
servers
attempted
service.
They
literally
saw
him
sitting
inside
his
mother’s
house
while
they
knocked.
Which
is…
honestly
art.
A
federal
judge
who
once
wielded
the
power
of
the
United
States
now
hiding
behind
his
Mom
while
the
bar
tries
to
hand
him
paperwork.
Chef’s
kiss.
You’ll
recall
the
Ninth
Circuit’s
Special
Committee
laid
out
details
ripped
from
an
HR
nightmare.
Investigators
concluded
Kindred
cultivated
a
sexualized
relationship
with
one
of
his
clerks
while
simultaneously
creating
a
hostile
work
environment
for
everyone
else
unlucky
enough
to
be
trapped
in
his
chambers.
Things
got
even
messier
when
they
detailed
his
“flirtatious
rapport”
with
Assistant
U.S.
Attorney
Karen
Vandergaw,
who
sent
him
nude
photos,
photos
she
now
says
she
felt
pressured
to
send,
all
while
she
continued
appearing
before
him
in
active
cases.
Not
to
tell
the
Federalist
Society
how
to
run
its
orientation
sessions,
but
“don’t
accept
explicit
photos
from
someone
litigating
in
your
courtroom”
should
really
be
on
page
one.
Kindred’s
misconduct
and
messy
exit
didn’t
just
obliterate
his
own
career
—
they’ve
thrown
a
whole
slew
of
cases
into
chaos.
Defense
lawyers,
pointing
to
conflicts
between
Kindred
and
prosecutors
(including
the
same
AUSA
who
was
sending
him
nudes),
have
filed
motions
for
new
trials.
And
federal
judges
have
already
granted
multiple
do-overs.
It
turns
out
when
your
judge
is
conducting
an
off-the-books
erotic
side-plot
with
someone
litigating
before
him,
it’s
bad
for
the
integrity
of
the
process.
Who
knew?