Judge had sex images on Web site

LOS ANGELES - A federal judge overseeing an obscenity trial exploring the extremes of pornography posted explicit photos and videos on his personal Web site, a newspaper reported yesterday.

Alex Kozinski, 57, chief judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said that he thought the material couldn't be seen by the public. The images included a video of a "half-dressed man cavorting with a sexually aroused farm animal," the Los Angeles Times reported.

Kozinski, who has since blocked access to the site, said that he didn't believe the images were obscene.

The revelation came as opening statements were under way in the trial of Ira Isaacs, a businessman accused of breaking U.S. obscenity laws by distributing pornographic movies depicting extreme fetishes like bestiality. *

- Associated Press