U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia of the District of Kansas was publicly reprimanded by the Judicial Council of the Tenth Circuit. U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia of the District of Kansas was publicly reprimanded by the Judicial Council of the Tenth Circuit.

A federal trial judge in Kansas who was publicly reprimanded last year for workplace misconduct claims, including sexual harassment, announced his resignation Tuesday from the bench, amid new scrutiny from U.S. House lawmakers about how effectively the courts were combatting judicial misbehavior.

U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia said in a letter to President Donald Trump that he will resign, effective April 1. The Kansas City Star reported that nine employment-related cases were recently reassigned from Murguia's court.

"I have been honored to serve in this position since 1999, and my tenure on the court has been the highlight of my professional life," Murguia said in his resignation letter. "In recent months it has become clear that I can no longer effectively serve the court in this capacity. I therefore tender my resignation with a heavy heart and profound apologies, out of respect for the federal judiciary, my colleagues, my community and—most importantly—my family."

The Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit concluded in September that Murguia sexually harassed employees, engaged in an extramarital relationship with a felon who was then on probation and was "habitually" tardy for court engagements. Murguia last year admitted to the misconduct allegations and apologized for his behavior. He promised he would not engage in any inappropriate conduct in the future, and he offered to take any recommended voluntary corrective actions.

The judicial committee determined Murguia "was less than candid" when initially confronted with the allegations and "did not fully disclose the extent of his conduct."

"He tended to admit to allegations only when confronted with supporting documentary evidence," the judicial committee said in its admonishing last September. "His apologies appeared more tied to his regret that his actions were brought to light than an awareness of, and regret for, the harm he caused to the individuals and to the integrity of his office."

The courts, in the #MeToo era, have implemented new policies and procedures addressing workplace misconduct, providing new measures for court staff and clerks to bring grievances. Last week, U.S. House lawmakers, pointing to the claims against Murguia, questioned the effectiveness of the judiciary's efforts to combat misconduct.

The House members said the judicial council's order sanctioning Murguia's conduct "calls into question the adequacy of the judiciary's recent steps to better protect its employees from wrongful workplace conduct—steps which we would like to welcome as much-needed progress in this area."

In a letter to judiciary leaders, the House lawmakers asked a series of questions about what steps the court had taken in light of Murguia's conduct. The lawmakers said they wanted to know whether, among other things, the employees harassed by Murguia still worked for him and whether there was an investigation into why none of Murguia's staff felt comfortable reporting his behavior. They requested answers by Thursday.

Murguia said in his resignation letter that he "looked forward to assisting the District of Kansas with an orderly transition of my administrative and case-related responsibilities" between now and April 1.

 

Read more:

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U.S. House Questions Effectiveness of Sexual Misconduct Reforms

Judiciary Reprimands Kansas Federal Judge for Sexually Harassing Court Employees