Third Circuit Forms Workplace Conduct Committee and Announces Appointment of First Director of Workplace Relations

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit announced today the formation of a Workplace Conduct Committee and the appointment of Julie Procopiow Todd, Esq. as the Third Circuit’s Director of Workplace Relations.

Going forward, the Workplace Conduct Committee will examine existing Third Circuit policies and procedures for preventing and addressing workplace misconduct. It will also present recommendations to the Judicial Council on how to promptly and effectively process complaints of such misconduct. In forming its proposals, the Committee will be guided by the recommendations of the Federal Judiciary Workplace Conduct Working Group formed last year at the direction of Chief Justice Roberts. Chief Judge Smith will serve as the Chair of the Committee. Other members include: Judge Colm Connolly of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware; Magistrate Judge Maureen Kelly of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania; Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania; Judge Gerald Pappert of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Judge Patty Shwartz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; Judge Susan Wigenton of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey; and Circuit Executive Margaret Wiegand, who is also a member of the national Working Group. With the hiring of Ms. Todd, the Third Circuit Workplace Conduct Committee is uniquely poised to assist the courts of the Third Circuit in maintaining an exemplary workplace.

Ms. Todd is currently an Administrative Judge for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where she has been adjudicating complaints of employment discrimination brought by federal government employees for 26 years. Over the last 10 years, Ms. Todd has coordinated the EEOC Administrative Settlement Envoy Program, an award-winning model settlement initiative. A soughtafter presenter and speaker, Ms. Todd brings to her new post years of training experience on workplace topics. In announcing the appointment, Chief Judge Smith commented that “Ms. Todd’s background in EEOC matters is an invaluable asset, and one that will redound to the great benefit of the entire Third Circuit as we continue our efforts to provide a safe, hospitable, and efficient workplace for all.”

Scheduled to assume her new duties on October 14, 2019, Ms. Todd will coordinate implementation of employment dispute resolution policies for all courts within the Third Circuit, which include the Court of Appeals, and the federal district and bankruptcy courts in the Districts of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the United States Virgin Islands. The Director of Workplace Relations will also create a circuitwide workplace conduct office that will not only develop proposed policies but also provide trainings aimed at fostering healthy working environments and the fair resolution of workplace issues. 

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