Kentucky Judge Suspended Without Pay for Calling Out Racism in Judicial System
A Kentucky judge has been suspended without pay for “racially-charged” comments accusing a Louisville prosecutor of intentionally seeking all-white juries.
On Monday, state officials decided to suspend Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Olu Stevens for 90 days without pay following an investigation into judicial misconduct charges. According to Reuters, Stevens was accused of eight code of conduct violations after criticizing Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine on Facebook and during a speech at the Louisville Bar Association. Wine had previously questioned the judge’s motion to replace two all-white juries with more racially diverse ones.
Stevens dismissed a jury panel back in 2014 after a Black defendant complained that it “didn’t represent a cross-section of the community,” Louisville’s WDRB reports. A new jury was formed, this time featuring four African-American members; the defendant was later found not guilty. Stevens took similar action in 2015 due to the lack of minorities on a jury. According to the station, that’s when Wine filed a motion with the Kentucky Supreme Court questioning if Stevens had the power to dismiss a jury based on the lack of diversity.
The judge has since apologized for his accusations.