A state judicial watchdog group decided Tuesday that Court of Appeal Justice Jeffrey Johnson should be removed from the bench for sexual misconduct, dishonesty and undignified conduct.

Johnson was charged with sexual misconduct toward 17 women at the courts where he worked and at professional functions, including unwanted touching, disparaging remarks and multiple instances of undignified conduct while he was under the influence of alcohol.

“Treating women disrespectfully, including unwanted touching and making inappropriate sexual comments, reflects a sense of entitlement completely at odds with the canons of judicial ethics and the role of any judge,” the California Commission on Judicial Performance said. “Sexual misconduct has no place in the judiciary and is an affront to the dignity of the judicial office.”

Among those Johnson was found to have sexually harassed was Justice Victoria Chaney, who serves with him on the Los Angeles-based 2nd District Court of Appeal. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed both Johnson and Chaney to the appeals court. Chaney told the commission that Johnson harassed her from 2009 to 2018.

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