US judge resigns over racist comments towards robbery suspect
An American judge who was caught using the N-word to describe a black burglar who tried breaking into her car has resigned and apologized for her comments.
Lafayette, Louisiana City Court Judge Michelle Odinet stepped down from her position on Friday and asked for forgiveness after she was caught on camera with her family making racist remarks towards the burglary suspect while watching surveillance footage of the crime.
In her resignation letter, Odinet said she takes “full responsibility for the hurtful words I used to describe the individual who burglarized the vehicles at my home.”
“I am sorry for the pain that I have caused my community and ask for your forgiveness, as my words did not foster the public's confidence and integrity for the judiciary,” she said.
Odinet “understands that this is the end of her public service, but only the beginning of what she needs to do to earn the forgiveness of the community,” her lawyer, Dane Ciolino, said in a statement to The Advocate newspaper.
The judge took a leave of absence in December after footage capturing the racist comments went viral online.
During the video, Odinet was heard saying, “We have a n*****! It’s a n*****! Like a roach,” before laughing.
After the clip went viral, Odinet claimed her “mental state” at the time “was fragile” and that she was “unable to sleep” as a result of the frightening burglary. Because of this, Odinet said she was “given a sedative at the time of the video” and had “zero recollection” of the “disturbing language used.”
