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File under category of: 'Oh My Gawd!!!!'

Chief judge of U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledges posting sexually explicit photos and videos on private site. Did we mention he's presiding over an obscenity trial?

Charles Cooper Former Executive Editor / News
Charles Cooper was an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet.
Charles Cooper
3 min read

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Alex Kozinski posted sexually explicit photos and videos on his private Web site. Raunchy, but hardly exceptional except that we're talking about the chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and one who is presiding over an obscenity trial.

Judge Alex Kozinski Alex Kozinski

According to the newspaper, he acknowledged posting the materials, "which included a photo of naked women on all fours painted to look like cows and a video of a half-dressed man cavorting with a sexually aroused farm animal. Some of the material was inappropriate, he conceded, although he defended other sexually explicit content as 'funny.'"

Kozinski also told the L.A. Times that he thought the site was for private storage and was unaware the public might be able to view the images. Unfortunately, the site is no longer publicly viewable but here's the paper's description:

The sexually explicit material on Kozinski's site earlier this week was extensive, including images of masturbation, public sex and contortionist sex. There was a slide show striptease featuring a transsexual, and a folder that contained a series of photos of women's crotches as seen through snug fitting clothing or underwear. There were also themes of defecation and urination, though they are not presented in a sexual context.

Appointed to the federal bench by President Reagan in 1985, Kozinski became chief judge of the 9th Circuit in 2007. Sideline interests aside, Kozinski has a reputation for being an excellent jurist. Kozinski, who immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1962 when he was 12, graduated first in his class from UCLA. In a recent profile, California Lawyer headlined its piece, "Just Being Kozinski: The Ninth Circuit's new chief judge is brilliant, charming - and provocative. But does he have the right temperament for the job?"

I'm not qualified to answer. But clearly, we're not talking about the second coming of Antonin Scalia. Nobody will argue that Kozinski isn't more colorful than the run-of-the-mill magistrate. Apropos, Slate reprinted excerpts from Kozinski's 1996 diary. Check it out.

Our host seems to have left nothing to chance. The exercise room, behind a glass panel, has been turned into a bondage peep show. Dancers undulate in cages, on raised stands, and on a Plexiglas platform in the middle of the pool. A magician in a bathrobe adorned with the moon and stars performs card tricks. A masseuse, caricaturists, and a body painter ply their trades.

For all this, the party is not much different from a junior-high sock hop. People eye each other nervously while snatching finger food. Every one seems to be waiting for something to happen.

As midnight approaches the place becomes so packed--there are now perhaps 700 bodies in the living room and on the pool decks--that it's difficult to move. The later arrivals display slightly more provocative costumes. One fellow walks in supporting a clip-on cup and precious little else. Reminds me of a nightmare I've had where I go to a party but forget to dress. One lady appears in a black leather bondage outfit; handcuffs hang from her belt and she carries a coiled whip. More lingerie than a Victoria's Secret catalogue. It dawns on me that I'm at a pajama costume party, sort of a sleepover for adults, but with no sleeping allowed.