Sex comments force Springfield judge to quit

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — A Springfield justice of the peace accused of making sexually offensive comments to her staff has resigned.

Lane County officials and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski confirmed receipt of Cynthia Sinclair's resignation letter, The Register-Guard newspaper of Eugene reported Tuesday.

Sinclair, 58, had been elected three times and served 13 years in the position that does not require a law degree.

The resignation follows a three-month investigation that determined Sinclair made unwelcome sexual comments to court clerks "with such frequency that it permeated their work environment."

Sinclair was known for her colorful statements dramatizing the dangers of the minor offenses she handled, from speeding to truancy. But five female clerks banded together in December to complain to county officials about those comments, as well as sexually oriented statements aimed toward them.

Among Sinclair's inappropriate courtroom remarks, her accusers said, was asking a mother of five children, one of whom was in court for delinquent behavior, "Don't you wish you could shoot all teenagers?"

The judge also allegedly warned truant girls that they would "end up dancing naked on tables" at a strip club. She also reportedly told young defendants: "You will learn about sex when you are in jail showering with other people."

Current and former clerks told the investigator that Sinclair often asked them about their sex life.

In a 10-page letter responding to the complaints, Sinclair denied her conduct was sexual harassment, saying she had never "hit on" an employee, posted "nudie" photos or made "naughty telephone calls." She described herself as a heterosexual.

She also wrote that the U.S. Constitution protects free speech and trumps "sexual harassment claims based solely on verbal insult, pictorial or literary matter."

Sinclair resigned effective July 1, meaning Lane County taxpayers will continue to pay her $50,939 annual salary until then.