Jill Langley, director of workplace relations for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and a recognized authority in employment dispute resolution.

Jill Langley, the former director of workplace relations for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, has been named the federal judiciary's first judicial integrity officer, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced Monday.

A longtime authority in employment dispute resolution, Langley will be tasked with establishing a new office that will serve as an independent source of information and referral for complaints regarding misconduct in the workplace, AOC director James C. Duff said in a statement.

The new Judicial Integrity Office will monitor recurring issues and provide training across the judiciary, while also serving as a resource for staff throughout the court system.

“Court employees, law clerks, and outside experts all supported the creation of an office at the Administrative Office to provide employees throughout the system with advice and assistance about workplace conduct matters,” Duff said in the statement. “We are fortunate to have someone with Jill's exemplary background and exceptional reputation occupy this position.”

The office was created in the wake of widely publicized sexual harassment allegations against former Judge Alex Kozinski, who resigned last December from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit amid accusations that he had harassed female law clerks.

Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. last year formed the Federal Judiciary Workplace Conduct Working Group to consider whether changes were needed to the judiciary's codes of conduct and its guidance to employees on issues of confidentiality and reporting of instances of misconduct, among other things

Two committees of the Judicial Conference have been considering an overhaul of the judiciary's rules and procedures, and in October indicated that the working group would look favorably on a proposal to create a new office to receive and investigate misconduct complaints.

“We have expanded workplace conduct orientation and training programs throughout the judiciary, and we are reviewing recommended changes to the judicial conduct rules and code, improving the model [employment dispute resolution] plan, and providing alternative and less formal avenues for reporting and resolving workplace conduct issues,” Duff said on Monday.

Langley, a graduate of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, has worked for 23 years with the Tenth Circuit, where she has spent the last 13 years focused on employment dispute resolution.

During her time with the court, she has developed a nationally recognized training program on EDR laws, designed for court employees, judges, court executives and EDR coordinators. She currently serves on a national working group that is developing a new model EDR plan for federal courts.

“The appointment of Jill Langley as our first judicial integrity officer reflects our serious commitment to establishing and maintaining an exemplary workplace for all federal Judiciary employees,” Duff said.