Leavenworth County District Court Judge Frederick N. Stewart faces an official inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a member of his staff.

The Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualifications today issued a notice of formal proceedings outlining the allegations and giving Stewart 20 days to respond.

The complaint alleges that beginning in approximately 1999 Stewart “engaged in inappropriate conduct” toward the aide, “consisting primarily of harassing conduct which included inappropriate touching, sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature.”

From 1999 through 2007, the complaint alleges, “the inappropriate conduct proceeded from the stage of being principally verbal or non-physical to being physical, including in the later years physical touching of a sexual nature or sexual physical acts such as attempted kissing and gradually increasing to more serious sexual contact in later years, particularly in 2007.”

Stewart also is accused of shirking his oversight duties related to supervising the aide. Stewart, the complaint alleges, “did not require adherence to employment policies concerning required presence on the job and at the job, or in the alternative, did not seek any consequences or discipline for failure of (the aide) to adequately or properly discharge the duties of a judicial branch employee when such were reasonably deserved and/or did not provide objective employee job performance ratings when required.”

After the 20-day response period ends, the commission will conduct a public hearing on the issue.

Ron Keefover, a spokesman for the Kansas Judicial Center, said if the commission, following the hearing, finds a violation of legal ethics and recommends discipline, the matter will sent to the Kansas Supreme Court for a final decision.

Keefover said the allegations would not preclude Stewart from hearing cases while the proceedings are under way.

Stewart could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon. An official in Stewart’s office said he would not be available for comment the rest of the day. Steve Crossland, Leavenworth County District Court administrator, referred all questions to Keefover.

Stewart has been on the bench since January 1977.