Judge Accused of Bullying Clerks, Creating ‘Culture of Fear’ (1)

A legal nonprofit accused a federal appeals court judge of mistreating her law clerks, despite her pledge to improve after an earlier judicial decision found her management style could be “overly harsh.”

The Legal Accountability Project, which advocates for law clerks who work in judges’ chambers, announced Tuesday it filed a complaint against Judge Sarah Merriam of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit after the group said it learned she bullies her clerks and has created a “culture of fear.”

The allegations come as the judiciary has faced increasing scrutiny over its workplace misconduct procedures.

Merriam’s clerks ...