The Louisiana judge who was recorded uttering rabidly racist words in the privacy of her home has been suspended without pay.
The Louisiana Supreme Court made the decision to temporarily remove Lafayette City Judge Michelle Odinet after she reportedly said this about a Black man who was allegedly attempting a burglary: “We have a n—–! It’s a n—–. Like a roach.”
Odinet’s invectives were captured on surveillance cameras. No word on how the video was leaked, and to whom, but prominent figures are calling for Odinet to resign for her almost gleeful use of racial slurs.
This is DISGUSTING! Judge Michelle Odinet is captured on video using racial slurs while reviewing home security footage. People's lives are in HER HANDS on a daily basis. This level of hate & racial bias should not be in our courtrooms! She needs to RESIGN! pic.twitter.com/TVny8kcaUZ
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) December 15, 2021
While Odinet offered to take a leave of absence, the state Supreme Court ruled that the judge is “disqualified from exercising judicial functions, without salary, during the pendency of further proceedings.”
Revolt reports that, earlier in the week, a video clip surfaced of Odinet and her family watching a home video of what appears to be a burglary in their driveway.
“And mom’s yelling n—-r, n—-r,” a male can be heard yelling and laughing. In response, a female voice that has now been identified as the judge, laughed and said: “We have a n—-r. It’s a n—-r, like a roach.”
After the video somehow made it onto social media, Odinet told the local media that she had “zero recollection” of the egregious episode and then blamed her words on being under the influence of sedatives.
Later, Odinet returned to media outlets and offered a pedestrian mea culpa, saying she was “deeply sorry” and asked, “for your forgiveness and understanding.”
Lafayette’s NAACP chapter president Michael Toussaint declared that “hate, in any form, cannot stand and must be condemned.” Toussaint has been forced to resign.
