Robert Gavin reports in the Times Union that an investigation by the court system’s inspector general found two Rensselaer County Family Court judges and four other staffers had created a hostile work environment and that the six had conspired to “bully, harass, demean and intimidate” an employee. And Judges Elizabeth Walsh and Jill Kehn took down and told the complainant that an effort to display posters to promote inclusion was “offensive” as well as “passive aggressive, juvenile, and completely unprofessional.” Clerical assistants in the Family Court building in Troy put up the posters to brighten up the court. They had messages that said, “Everyone is welcome here,” “Be the change you want to see in the world,” “All are welcome, important, encouraged, loved here” and “Be the reason someone smiles today.” Walsh, the judge who took the posters off the walls, said, “While I appreciate the thought behind them, they had the opposite effect on most of the folks who work very hard each and every day here in service to the families of our county.” The complainant told Walsh, “I’m afraid I just don’t see how any of these messages can be construed as offensive.” Walsh has a plaque on her own judicial bench that says, “Always be kinder than necessary.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.