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Kern County Judge Censured for Relationship with Clerk

Joe Moore
/
Valley Public Radio

A state watchdog has censured Kern County Superior Court judge Cory Woodward for having a sexual relationship with a clerk.  The decision also states that Woodward attempted to mislead the court about the relationship.

According to the Commission on Judicial Performance, the court received multiple complaints about both the judge’s and the clerk’s professional conduct.  Woodward has admitted to having sex with the clerk in chambers and in public places, as well as passing notes of a sexual nature to her during court proceedings.  On multiple occasions, Woodward also thwarted the court’s attempt to reassign the clerk to other judges.

The commission stopped short of firing Woodward on the grounds that he is a “respected, hardworking, intelligent and conscientious judge,” and because he cooperated with the commission’s investigation. Woodward has been a judge since 2007.

Kerry Klein is an award-winning reporter whose coverage of public health, air pollution, drinking water access and wildfires in the San Joaquin Valley has been featured on NPR, KQED, Science Friday and Kaiser Health News. Her work has earned numerous regional Edward R. Murrow and Golden Mike Awards and has been recognized by the Association of Health Care Journalists and Society of Environmental Journalists. Her podcast Escape From Mammoth Pool was named a podcast “listeners couldn’t get enough of in 2021” by the radio aggregator NPR One.
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