Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams announces he is ordering a full review of cases embattled Lafayette Judge Michelle Odinet prosecuted during her time with the New Orleans DA’s office.
In the 1990s, Odinet worked as a prosecutor for the Orleans District Attorney’s Office for nearly 30 years under DA Harry Connick.
The Louisiana Supreme Court suspended the Lafayette City Court judge in early December while there is an ongoing investigation into allegations Odinet used a racial slur in a video.
In a statement, DA Jason Williams said in part:
“That a judge and former prosecutor so comfortably employed a racial epithet serves as a telling reminder that the attitudes which fostered mass incarceration continue to undermine our pursuit of equal justice.”
“Moreover, the casual dehumanization displayed by Judge Odinet raises serious questions about her impartiality and the presence of bias and discrimination in her work on the bench and during her time as a prosecutor.”
