Louisiana Republican Judge gets 6 month suspension for wearing Blackface Makeup

A white judge who added blackface makeup to the handcuffs and jail jumpsuit he wore to a Halloween party should be suspended for six months, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Monday. The justices voted 5-2 to suspend Judge Timothy Ellender of Houma for a year without pay for dishonoring his position, but to defer half of that penalty.Ellender, who is white, testified the costumes worn by him and his wife -- she was dressed as a policewoman -- were meant only as a joke to show he was her prisoner. The party's host, Ellender's brother-in-law, was dressed as Buckwheat. Ellender has said he arrived at the party in handcuffs, Afro wig and prison suit, then had his wife apply blackface offered by his brother-in-law because he thought the other guests were not sufficiently amused. His wife came to the party dressed as a policewoman, and the judge applied blackface to her after they arrived, Ellender's lawyer, Bill Bordelon, told the Supreme Court in October. The justices agreed that Ellender did not mean to insult blacks. Therefore, they said, he must learn the error of his ways by taking a university sociology course "which will assist him in achieving a greater understanding of racial sensitivity."  The state Judiciary Commission had recommended suspending Ellender for a year and a day. [more] and [more]

• Judge Timothy Ellender (Good Ol' White Boy) Appears in Blackface [more ]
• Judge's costume sparks complaints, national debate [more ]
  
• On CNN Ellender explained the following to Wolf Blitzer about the incident, "My costume wasn't getting any laughs and everybody knew who I was so somebody at the party said, hey, somebody else was dressed as Buckwheat so someone suggested I put some of this paint on my face and I did." [here ]
• Timothy Ellender is a registered Republican [more ]