Louisiana Judge Apologizes, Resigns After Caught Using N-Word in Video

Nationwide — Judge Michelle Odinet from Lafeyette, Louisiana, was caught on video using a racial slur at her home. She has since apologized and resigned from her seat on the court.

In the past weeks, Odinet had faced calls for resignation after the video became public. The video showed a television displaying surveillance footage of a foiled burglary at her home. Odinet and other people who were reviewing the footage could not be seen in the video but were heard laughing and using racial slurs.

Odinet initially said she would take an unpaid leave of absence following the incident. She claimed she had “zero recollection” of the video and was given a sedative at that time. The Louisiana Supreme Court disqualified her, suspending her without pay.

Eventually, after a few weeks, Odinet said she decided to resign “after much reflection and prayer.”

“I take full responsibility for the hurtful words I used to describe the individual who burglarized the vehicles at my home,” Odinet wrote in a resignation letter to the Louisiana Supreme Court, according to NBC News. “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.”