Louisiana Supreme Court suspends Lafayette judge for racist remarks

The Louisiana Supreme Court announced Friday i(Dec. 17} t has suspended Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet from serving on the bench as it investigates a recording in which she uses the n-word.

According to the Supreme Court ruling, Odinet is “disqualified from exercising judicial functions, without salary, during the pendency of further proceedings in these matters.”

One of the seven justices, Justice Jefferson Hughes (R-Denham Springs), dissented from the majority ruling, writing: “While I condemn the language reported in the media, at this point all we have are media reports. I would like to see some hard facts as to who said what and when. This situation did not happen in a vacuum.”

Earlier this week, Odinet, a Republican, requested a leave of absence from the bench after multiple officials and organizations called for her resignation. Among them were Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, and the National Bar Association.

Read more: https://lailluminator.com/briefs/louisiana-supreme-court-suspends-lafayette-judge-accused-of-racial-remarks/