Jay Quam was a Hennepin County judge appointed by Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2006. He retired in March, 2025, one month before he was reprimanded by The Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards for a pattern of sexual harassment that included an inappropriate relationship with his clerk and his staff hearing explicit sounds of sexual activity from his office.
According to their findings, the Judicial Standards Board not only found the relationship with his clerk inappropriate, but they discovered a long history of inappropriate comments to his staff about their bodies, what they ate, and what they wore. One person said he made from 50 to 60 inappropriate comments during her employment. Staff feared for their professional careers. The reprimand noted that Quam admitted all the conduct.
- Minneapolis Star Tribune: Former Hennepin County judge reprimanded for pattern of sexual harassment, relationship with clerk
- Minnesota Lawyer: Retired Hennepin County Judge Quam reprimanded for misconduct with clerks
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