by TChris

TalkLeft has chronicled the antics of judges in Louisiana, including those who are drunk on the bench or impaired by drug use, and those who take bribes or extort campaign contributions. The latest Louisiana judge to misbehave is Timothy Ellender, who appeared at a Halloween party wearing blackface, an Afro wig, handcuffs, and a prison jumpsuit.

Ellender has admitted he wore the racially charged get-up last Halloween at a Houma seafood restaurant, but insists he meant no harm. The longtime Terrebonne Parish judge had asked that his punishment be limited to public censure, while the state Judiciary Commission recommended suspension for one year and one day without pay.

While Judge Ellender insists that he didn't mean to stereotype the people who come before him for sentencing, that is the unmistakable message that his costume conveyed. Does a man with such poor judgment deserve to be a judge?