The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently announced the appointment of Yohance Claude Edwards as the Director of Workplace Relations – the first position of its kind in the entire federal judiciary.  “Mr. Edwards will help lead the Ninth Circuit’s ongoing effort to address issues related to preventing and resolving workplace harassment, and to fostering a positive working environment in the federal courts of the western states [including Hawaii],” according to the news release.  Mr. Edwards, who will assume his new role on January 7, 2019, currently serves as the associate director and deputy Title IX officer at the University of California, Berkeley.

This new position was created as a result of the seven recommendations issued earlier this year by a committee investigating workplace misconduct in courtrooms.  That committee was formed following allegations of sexual harassment against Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski, who resigned in December 2017.