Make California Post a Preferred Source A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has been removed from office following a string of disturbing misconduct allegations.
Some of them included making sexually explicit comments to female attorneys, directing racially charged remarks at others and improperly sharing confidential records containing nude images of minors — as well as a nude photograph of himself.
The California Commission on Judicial Performance ordered the removal of 84-year-old Judge Robert Draper on Tuesday, following an investigation that uncovered a yearslong pattern of inappropriate behavior toward attorneys, fellow judges and courthouse employees.
In its 87-page decision, the commission identified nine instances of willful misconduct, eight instances of prejudicial misconduct and one instance of improper action.
“Judge Draper persistently violated the standards governing judicial behavior and engaged in extensive and severe misconduct,” the commission said.
Among the incidents examined was a February 2023 hearing in a sexual harassment lawsuit, during which Draper launched into an unsolicited discussion about race after a black female attorney appeared in his courtroom for the first time.
His remarks touched on black football quarterbacks, interracial marriage, racial segregation in the South and former President Lyndon Johnson’s role in passing the Civil Rights Act.
The commission determined that the comments were “irrelevant and gratuitous” and constituted prejudicial misconduct.
Draper also came under scrutiny for comments he made to two female attorneys inside his chambers, where he recalled lawyers at his former law firm telling their secretaries, “you better be able to f— better than you can type.”
Investigators also found that Draper had mistreated female court employees and a female presiding judge.
In another incident, the judge sent a group email to colleagues, retired judges and commission staff containing confidential juvenile dependency records that included photographs of naked minors.
Another email included a photograph of Draper himself, taken from behind while he was naked.
The commission also found Draper improperly communicated with an attorney involved in the sexual harassment case and falsely claimed that the judicial watchdog had requested a review of his handling of the trial.
His conduct escalated after he recused himself from the case in March 2023.
Despite stepping aside, Draper later presided over a hearing concerning an effort to disqualify him and threatened to report the attorneys seeking his removal to the State Bar of California.
“Judge Draper acted in bad faith because he had previously recused himself from the case and he knew he had no power to make further rulings,” the commission concluded.
The panel said Draper’s behavior was made worse by his unwillingness to acknowledge wrongdoing, his apparent lack of remorse and testimony that raised questions about his honesty.
“Judge Draper’s misconduct reflected either a concerning lack of familiarity with ethical precepts, or an unwillingness to conform to those precepts,” the commission said.
Draper disputed the allegations in a formal response filed in February, arguing that the charges “were contrary to all credible evidence and/or taken wholly out of context.”
His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Draper was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012 and subsequently won two six-year terms.
In June, he lost his bid for another term after the Los Angeles County Bar Association rated him “not qualified” to serve as a judge.
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