Richard Kopf, the senior United States district judge in Nebraska who drew headlines Monday after writing on his personal blog that the Supreme Court should "stfu"— complete with a link to the profanity-filled definition of the phrase — is thinking about giving up blogging.
In a new blog post Monday afternoon, Kopf posted a lengthy email from an unnamed lawyer who begged him to stop after a series of blog-related controversies.
In March, Kopf wrote a post titled "On being a dirty old man and how young women lawyers dress"— that recommended some female lawyers should dress more conservatively. In October, Kopf declared Congress should"go to hell."
The anonymous lawyer felt these controversies would only serve to distract the public from the fundamental role of a judge.
"There is little surprise in the level of attention drawn by, or the inevitable public reaction to, a federal trial judge, in a public forum, repeatedly using vulgarity including serial exercise of the f-word, apparently disclosing a fondness for looking up the skirts and down the blouses of female attorneys who appear before him, telling Congress to 'go to hell', and urging the SCOTUS to 'stfu,'" the lawyer wrote to Kopf. "How does such attention and reaction create an appearance that assists the public’s acceptance of the law, help people trust judges, foster faith in our system, and advance the cause of the delivery of justice?"
Kopf said he was thinking about following the lawyer's advice.
"I am going to give this letter serious consideration. It comes from someone I respect and whose judgment I trust. It also reminds me that, as a physician might say, I should always strive 'first to do no harm.' Blogging will be light while I figure this out," Kopf wrote.
Kopf declined to comment further on his "stfu" post after Business Insider reached out for comment Monday.