WASHINGTON The federal judiciary is ill-equipped to handle allegations of sexual harassment and significant changes are necessary to ensure those working for the third branch of the U.S. government are protected, a group of nearly 700 current and former federal judicial clerks and employees wrote in a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and other key members of the judiciary on Wednesday.

The letter, obtained by HuffPost, was sent two days after Alex Kozinski, one of the nations most high-profile federal appeals court judges, announced his retirement following accusations from multiple former female clerks of inappropriate sexual behavior . (He has since apologized .) Kozinski forced the federal judiciary into the national conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace, but his case also highlights why tackling this problem can be particularly difficult for those working for powerful judges.