Code of Silence

August 9, 2021
Journalist Olsen debuts with a dismaying and deeply reported exposé of how the U.S. federal court system enables eccentric and abusive behavior by judges who are appointed for life and can only be removed by congressional impeachment. Olsen centers the narrative on Cathy McBroom, a case manager in Galveston, Tex., who endured years of sexual harassment and assault by her boss, U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent, before lodging the complaint that led to his impeachment, resignation, and imprisonment in 2009. (He’s one of only 15 federal judges to be impeached in more than 200 years.) Fearful of losing her job and violating the oath she’d taken to protect court secrets, McBroom compartmentalized the abuse and tried to avoid being alone with Kent. Though she eventually confided in a colleague who was also being harassed, the atmosphere of abuse divided rather than united the women. Olsen lucidly describes the history and structure of the federal court system, weaves in accusations made against former Ninth Circuit judge Alex Kozinski and other federal jurists; and documents reformers’ calls for enhanced whistleblower protections and a “stronger central mechanism” to handle complaints. This is an enraging and eye-opening account of corruption and abuse within the halls of justice.

August 15, 2021
An investigative reporter reveals flaws in how Americans hold federal judges accountable for sexual misconduct and shows how whistleblowers have brought some to justice. Rogue federal judges have caused scandals at least since George Washington appointee John Pickering became the first to be removed from office by the Senate, which acted after he'd repeatedly taken to the bench "in a state of total intoxication" or mental "derangement." Since then, secretive disciplinary procedures and toothless remedies (allowing quiet resignations with full pensions) have enabled further sins documented in alarming detail in this expos�. Olsen focuses on hair-raising abuses by Samuel Bristow Kent of the Southern District of Texas, the first judge impeached by the House of Representatives for sexual misconduct he lied about. He resigned rather than stand trial in the Senate. Two female court employees had alleged that, among other types of sexual assault or harassment, Kent tried to force them to perform oral sex on him in a federal courthouse--a charge his lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, attempted to refute by claiming his client suffered from erectile dysfunction. Olsen shows how--with Kent's accusers understandably reluctant to go public with intimate experiences--she helped to break the story open in the Houston Chronicle, leading to a public outcry that contributed to his downfall. She also offers abundant evidence of egregious missteps by other federal judges, including Alex Kozinski, a mentor to Brett Kavanaugh. The writing here tends toward journalese (a whistleblower is "a sharply dressed soccer mom" and William Rehnquist, "the balding Wisconsin native"), but Olsen describes a serious oversight problem with vigor and credibility. She also gives deserved credit to courageous whistleblowers who were doubly victimized--first by their abusers and then by a legal system that required them to endure the pain of public exposure to obtain justice. A well-documented expos� of a broken system for policing errant federal judges.

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Starred review from October 22, 2021

Investigative reporter Olsen tells the story of Cathy McBroom, a victim of sexual misconduct and assault at the hands of her employer, U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent. McBroom's legal battle ended in a rare triumph--by some estimates, most sexual assaults go unreported or unaddressed. Thanks to McBroom's testimony and the tenacious sleuthing of Olsen, who reported on the case for years at the Houston Chronicle, Kent became the first and thus far only federal judge to be impeached for sexual misconduct. Including narratives of other victims of assault and excerpts from Olsen's reporting, this book exposes the secretive court system that protects federal judges against claims of corruption and sexual abuse. An expert journalist, Olsen weaves a nonlinear timeline, sharing minute details and making a complex, often unwieldy topic accessible even to readers with little background on the subject. And though the research and reporting are meticulous, the book is also deeply personal, and the stories of Kent's victim are rendered with empathy. VERDICT This captivating, eloquent book will resonate with anyone seeking justice and accountability; give to readers of Deborah Tuerkheimer's Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers.--Alana Quarles, Fairfax County P.L., Alexandria, VA

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