Louisiana district judge Jessie LeBlanc submitted her resignation Thursday amid fallout over a series of racist text messages referencing two Black employees.
LeBlanc’s admitted use of the N-word sparked calls from the community for her immediate removal, including Gov. John Bel Edwards who criticized the remarks as “derogatory and degrading.”
“Sadly, inequities still exist in society and in our judicial system,” Edwards said, as reported by local station WAFB. “Judge LeBlanc compromised her ability to preside as a judge and she has damaged the judiciary. She should resign. The people of the 23rd Judicial District and our state deserve better.”
The embattled judge would hand in her letter of resignation the following day, but not without levying a few accusations of her own.
“It’s with a heavy heart and profound regret that I tender my resignation as Judge, 23rd Judicial District Court,” she began. “While I am not excusing my behavior in using a racially inappropriate word, I have and will continue to apologize for it.
“My use of the word was out of fear and anger,” LeBlanc continued, insisting the incident in no way reflected her true character.
In a recent interview with WAFB, LeBlanc admitted to using the racial slur to refer to a law clerk and sheriff’s deputy — both of whom are African-American — during a heated text exchange with LeBlanc’s ex lover, then- Assumption Parrish chief deputy Bruce Prejean. The embattled judge was already facing tough criticism after confirming her years-long extramarital affair with the high-ranking cop.
LeBlanc apologized for her racist language, saying she didn’t think anyone would ever see it.
“Not in a – no – not – no – not in a – no – I haven’t used that racial slur in the past,” she stammered when asked if she had used the N-word before. “This was in a moment of a heated exchange that was private between Bruce and I, that I never dreamed would have come out to the public.”
In her resignation to the Louisiana Supreme Court, LeBlanc claimed at least three of her court employees were aware of her relationship with Prejean. She further alleged that another judge in the district, Judge Alvin Turner, was made aware in 2017 that one of his own law clerks was also having an affair with Prejean at the time.
“It’s my understanding that relationship continued,” she wrote. “Likewise, I understand it’s fairly well-known Mr. Prejean has engaged in a relationship with a high-ranking official with the governor’s staff, [yet], no one seems to have bothered to ferret that out.”
After ending her affair with the deputy, LeBlanc claims she was targeted with anonymous phone calls, memos and a wrapped “Christmas” present containing Prejan’s phone records highlighting his “on-going contact” with said law clerk, who’s reportedly African-American.
The judge confirmed this was the crux of their heated argument in which she lambasted the sheriff’s deputy for allegedly cheating on her with “a n—-r.” She also referred to another Black employee as a “thug n—-r.”
“I further understand that warrants were likewise submitted to the court, but no one is seeking recusal, reopening of cases, or public outcry of any kind,” LeBlanc opined in her resignation letter. “Let me be clear, I would not wish this on anyone. But I do believe that if we are to inflict punishment on one, it must be fairly apportioned across the entirety.”
Judge Turner has denied the claims and accused LeBlanc of trying to distort the truth and take the heat off herself. She previously refused to step down amid the controversy and planned to serve the remainder of her term.
Officials with Baton Rouge NAACP threatened to protest, should LeBlac refuse to leave willingly. Chapter president Eugene Collins was among those pushing for the judge’s resignation, but he said he doesn’t consider her removal a “victory.”
“Are we happy that somebody that used the N-word is no longer having the opportunity to preside over members of our community? Yes,” Collins told WAFB. “But victory? No, because we shouldn’t still be fighting these issues in 2020.”
