A Texas federal judge has temporarily been suspended from overseeing cases and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after she made a series of racially charged remarks against a Latino lawyer.
The Judicial Council of the Fifth Circuit initiated its investigation Aug. 11 after civil rights lawyer Ezra Young filed a misconduct complaint against US District Judge Ada Brown, according to court documents.
According to the New York Post, the complaint stemmed from an April 24 hearing after Brown, who is black and of Native American descent, summoned him to appear before her several months after she barred him from litigating cases in her Dallas courtroom.
While questioning Young over sealed documents that she had discovered on his personal website, Brown accused him of mistreating black attorneys.
“I think what’s happening here, quite candidly, is you are very intimidated for some reason, Mr. Young, with black excellence, in light of your white mediocrity. Yeah. Right?” Brown said, according to a transcript posted online by Bloomberg Law.
“You should write that down. I mean … you look like a White man, right?” the judge added.
Young, a Columbia Law School graduate, then revealed that he was Latino and had taken his wife’s last name
“Well, you are White-presenting; is that fair to say?” Brown snapped back before the lawyer told her, “I’m fair-skinned, Your Honor, yes.”
Young, who is representing a black law professor who filed a lawsuit against Southern Methodist University, declined an interview request from The Post but said his family is from Mexico.
During the hearing, Brown accused Young of addressing non-black attorneys “with honorifics” and black lawyers by their first names.
“You’re the white savior, come to save all the stupid black lawyers in Texas who need your help, from New York,” Brown also told Young during the court session.
Young filed his complaint on May 14 and raised concerns about Brown’s mental health condition.
Brown issued a response July 28 and denied having a mental illness. She was apologetic but stressed that Young showed “concerning behavior towards black lawyers, and women that he does not exhibit to white men,” according to a copy of the 76-page letter that was reviewed by Bloomberg Law.
“I do not believe my demeanor was inappropriate at any time, especially during the candid conversations about race,” said Brown while admitting that the discussion with Young “might have been handled more delicately” on her behalf.
A special panel of three judges appointed by Chief Circuit Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod notified Brown on Sep. 10 to meet with the committee on Sept. 21, according to a court document that was released Oct. 19.
But Brown, who twice informed the court she would resign before rescinding, never showed up and was ordered that day to undergo an “independent psychiatric evaluation within 30 days.” She was given seven days to confirm if she would comply and failed to respond.
“Based on the Committee’s investigation and observations of Judge Brown’s behavior, the Committee determined that there is reasonable basis to conclude that Judge Brown suffers from a mental condition that currently interferes with her ability to perform the responsibilities of the office,” Walker Elrod wrote in a court document dated Oct. 1.
The committee, which is still investigating Brown, found that she recused herself from more than 40 cases since June 1. It revealed that Brown had “abandoned her post as a federal judge” and failed to respond to questions regarding her return, according to the court.
Brown failed to appear before the committee for an interview on Friday morning.