The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has deployed Steven Clymer, a seasoned assistant U.S. attorney with nearly four decades of experience, to Alaska to assist in untangling the ethical quagmire left in the wake of former U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred’s misconduct.
Clymer, known for his role in successfully prosecuting two Los Angeles police officers involved in the Rodney King beating case in 1991, will support the Alaska U.S. attorney’s office in reviewing cases where Judge Kindred may have needed to recuse himself due to inappropriate relationships with prosecutors.
Reagan Zimmerman, spokeswoman for the Alaska U.S. attorney’s office, confirmed Clymer’s appointment, stating, “We were pleased to request the help of Mr. Clymer, who has been designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney within our office to assist with cases where the judge might have had an obligation to recuse himself.”
The deployment comes on the heels of the Alaska U.S. attorney’s office identifying 21 additional cases that might have required Kindred’s recusal, nearly doubling the number of potential conflicts previously acknowledged. Many of these cases involve appearances by an assistant U.S. attorney who, according to a judicial panel, sent nude photos and flirtatious text messages to Kindred before his resignation last month.
Clymer’s appointment is not without precedent. He previously assisted the Kansas City U.S. attorney’s office from 2017 to 2019, addressing a situation where federal prosecutors had improperly accessed recorded conversations between inmates and their lawyers.
Andrew Goldsmith, a retired DOJ official, praised Clymer’s selection, saying, “If there is a person in the department who is well-suited for a job like this, it’s Steve. I can’t think of a better person to call balls and strikes and importantly to give appropriate counsel to the U.S. attorney’s office and to, ultimately, the court on what’s going on here.”
The terms of Clymer’s appointment, outlined in a court filing on Thursday, indicate that his role is indefinite and was requested by the DOJ under a law allowing the U.S. attorney general to appoint attorneys to assist U.S. attorneys when public interest requires it.
This development occurs against the backdrop of an ongoing review by the Alaska Federal Defender’s office. Jamie McGrady, the federal defender, stated on August 5 that “the universe of potential cases impacted by the failures to disclose is far greater than those listed” by prosecutors.
As the situation unfolds, the legal community in Alaska and beyond will be watching closely to see how Clymer’s expertise helps address the complex ethical issues stemming from Judge Kindred’s misconduct.
Citations:
[1] https://twitter.com/sethstern
[2] https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/alaska-judge-scandal-prompts-referral-doj-watchdog-2024-07-19/
[3] https://apnews.com/article/alaska-judge-undisclosed-conflicts-fdbf620012bf88e9d67301ec8a0802c2
[4] https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/dojs-fiercest-opponent-is-last-of-its-kind-as-industry-shifts
[5] https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/prosecutors-flag-more-possible-case-conflicts-from-alaska-judge-1
[6] https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-deploys-veteran-fixer-to-alaska-to-unwind-judges-conflicts
[7] https://twitter.com/suzannemonyak
Last modified: June 20, 2025
