Carrie Johnson knows the American justice system inside and out. Her very first job in journalism was at the legal times in 1996, then a decade at the Washington Post, and then 15 years as NPR's justice correspondent, decades covering the closed world of the federal judiciary. But even for a season pro, trying to crack open that world

can be tricky. I've been doing this a long time, and these conversations are among the most

sensitive I've ever had. For the past year and a half, Carrie has been investigating the

power dynamics between federal judges and their staff, in particular, their clerks.

These judges are basically in control of the clerk's lives,

both during the point of the clerkship and then almost forever after because they're like a major

reference. Anytime somebody wants another job in the legal industry. And they're supposed to be,

in the best of circumstances, they're supposed to be like lifelong mentors giving you advice about how much to work, the best of circumstances. They're supposed to be like lifelong mentors giving

you advice about how much to work, the kinds of jobs to take, when to dial back, when to pay

attention to your family. That's the best of time. At worst, Carrie found a troubling pattern,

judges who harass, bully, or control their law clerks, often with little oversight or scrutiny.

The judge was the HR department. The judge was my boss. The judge was a colleague. The judge was

everything. He had all the power. This is one former law clerk who worked for a federal judge in

Alaska a few years ago. It started immediately the inappropriate conversations.

There was a lot of talk about the judge's personal relationships, about sexual relationships.

That inappropriate behavior escalated into sexual harassment and she alleges assault.

Other clerks reported bullying, discrimination, or racially problematic comments from judges.

And yet, a culture of secrecy made many of these sources afraid to speak out. That voice you just

heard wasn't actually the real voice of the law clerk from Alaska, though they are her words

verbatim. We're using a voice actor because she was too afraid to talk into a microphone.

How many former law clerks did you talk to for these stories?

More than 50 current and former law clerks to federal judges and some other people who

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