Courtney Milan, a pseudonym for Heidi Bond, is a bestselling American author of historical and contemporary romance novels. After releasing her first few books under a traditional publishing contract, Milan has self-published more recent works. Prior to her writing career, Bond was a law clerk for Sandra Day O'Connor of the United States Supreme Court and for Judge Alex Kozinski. As the Me Too movement gained steam, Bond alleged that Kozinski had sexually harassed her. Kozinski soon resigned his lifetime appointment, and Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts ordered a review of how the federal judiciary handled sexual harassment reports. Milan served on the board of directors of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) for four years, spearheading efforts to make the organization more diverse and inclusive. In late 2019, the RWA board voted to suspend Milan for calling another author's book racist. The board reinstated her days later, noting irregularities with the process. The resulting controversy led to the mass resignation of half of the RWA board of directors, the resignation of the RWA executive director, and the cancellation of the 2020 RITA Award program. Early life and education Milan was born in 1976, to American Doug Bond, a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Riverside, and a Chinese mother. According to her website, Milan was raised in Southern California. She wrote her first book at the age of ten and intended to be an author from a young age. She received a bachelor's degree with a double major in mathematics and chemistry from Florida State University in 2000. Milan attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a master's degree in theoretical physical chemistry. She then went to the University of Michigan Law School, where she received the Henry Moore Bates scholarship. In 2006, she graduated summa cum laude. Career During 2007 and 2008, Milan clerked for judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Milan later alleged that during her time in his employ, Kozinski called her into his office three times to look at porn, repeatedly asking her if the images aroused her. Milan discussed the harassment and the discomfort it caused her with her friend author Eve Ortega, but chose not to report it. At the time, there were no methods for clerks to report harassment and remain anonymous. Milan was then hired to clerk