Black judge says repeating 'N' word in appellate opinion was 'unnecessary'

The lone black judge on the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has rebuked Presiding Judge Gary Lumpkin for repeatedly quoting a murderer's use of the "n" word in a published opinion.

The opinion, released Friday, upheld the Tulsa County conviction of Charles Gustaves Johnson Jr., 71, in the 2013 murder of Duchone Whitworth.

"I concur in the decision reached by the court in this matter. However I write separately to point out that the author of this opinion did not have to repeat the repugnant language used by the appellant," Vice Presiding Judge David Lewis wrote in his concurring opinion. "The repeated use of the 'n' word in this opinion was unnecessary to the reader's understanding of the language used by the appellant, and unnecessary to the court's resolution of this case."

Judge Lumpkin quoted the racial slur verbatim in his opinion, while Lewis used the euphemistic expression "'n' word" in his criticism.

Read more: http://newsok.com/black-judge-says-repeating-n-word-in-appellate-opinion-was-unnecessary/article/5547323