A Colorado judge has resigned following her alleged use of a racial slur in the presence of a coworker, among other accusations.
CBS News reports that Colorado District Judge Natalie Chase used the n-word a number of times in front of a Black colleague and was also consistently uncaring about racial issues. The Colorado Supreme Court denounced Chase in a public censure and provided details of the incidents in court documents.
Documents point to an episode in 2020, where Chase was returning from an event with two of her colleagues and repeatedly used the n-word. Chase asked “questions about why Black people can use the n-word but not white people, and whether it was different if the n-word is said with an ‘er’ or an ‘a’ at the end of the word,” according to court docs. “During the conversation, Judge Chase used the full N-word a number of times.”
At least one of her coworkers in the car was Black and “felt angry and hurt by the conversation.” the docs read. “She has explained that Judge Chase’s use of the full N-word was ‘like a stab through my heart each time.’” The facilitator didn’t reveal that she was upset in the car “due to fear of retaliation,” CBS writes.
Chase was offensive at other times too, voicing her opposition to NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem and her opinion on the Black Lives Matter protests that swept the nation following George Floyd’s murder. When an employee attempted to explain the significance of the Black Lives Matter movement, Chase said she thinks “all lives matter,” court docs said.
Chase breached four separate judicial rules, according to the state supreme court, ultimately weakening “confidence in the judiciary,” the outlet writes. The court asked her to resign after the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline Case suggested the court reprimand Chase. She responded by saying she did “not intend any racial animus” and agreed that her actions infringed upon the public’s assurance in the court.
