Ga. Judge's Scandal Casts Spotlight On Inattention To Clerks

Judge Eleanor Ross isn't entirely an outlier, though, according to LAP’s President and Founder Aliza Shatzman, who said federal judges are often unable or unwilling to train and supervise their clerks adequately. While most judges' training and supervision of their clerks probably doesn't fall as far short as that of Judge Ross, many federal judges are "absolutely" delegating too much responsibility to their clerks, Shatzman said. That over-delegation can lead to the judicial workplace abuse that has gotten more attention, said Shatzman, a pattern she's frequently seen. An inadequately trained and supervised clerk submits unsatisfying work product. The judge then accuses the clerk of failing to meet expectations, and the clerk responds that the judge never communicated their expectations, Shatzman explained.

"That quickly devolves into yelling, shouting, bullying. So they're very closely related," Shatzman said. "Typically, the first issue that LAP will see is some kind of managerial miscommunication thatthen devolves into clerk mistreatment." She advocates for standardizing the entire clerkship process, from hiring to training to supervision. She'd also like to see federal judges undergo annual, mandatory management training.

"These are workplaces, and in other workplaces you are trained in management," Shatzman said."We must think of judges as managers running small workplaces."