A judge in Louisiana is under fire after using a racial slur in a video that has resurfaced on social media.
Judge Michelle Odinet of the Lafayette City Court in Louisiana can be heard laughing and saying racial slurs as she watched security footage of a bungled burglary at her home Saturday morning, CBS News reported.
Odinet’s lawyer, Dane Ciolino, reportedly said one of the voices heard in the video is hers and confirmed that the judge used a racial slur. (RELATED: Louisiana Judge Delivers A Nationwide Block On Biden’s Vaccine Mandate For Healthcare Workers)
Here is Louisiana Judge Michelle Odinet using the N-word reviewing footage of a home invasion. Then compare them to a roach. She cannot be trusted to render judgement on any cases involving African Americans and all past cases must be reviewed. Period. Call 337-291-8023. pic.twitter.com/5JafckeGJl
— Reese Waters (@reesewaters) December 14, 2021
“That’s me. And Mom’s yelling ‘n—, n—.,'” a viewer said. “We have a n—–. It’s a n—–, like a roach,” another person said as a group watches the security footage.
Ciolino said Odinet will take a leave of absence without pay, saying the judge feels “humiliated, embarrassed, and sorry for what she has done and the harm she has caused to the community” after the video circulated over social media, according to CBS News.
Odinet claimed to have had taken a sedative when the video was taken. “I was given a sedative at the time of the video. I have zero recollection of the video and the disturbing language used during it. Anyone who knows me and my husband, knows this is contrary to the way we live our lives,” Odinet stated, according to the outlet.
Authorities have arrested a suspect after the Louisiana judge said her family was subject to an armed burglary at her home. Ronald Handy, a 59-year-old black male, was arrested and carries two counts of simple burglary, CBS News reported.
Michael Toussaint, president of the NAACP’s Lafayette Chapter, believes she should have “taken a stand against that type of language in her own home,” as he called for Odinet’s resignation, according to the outlet.