A Texas federal judge called a Latino attorney a ‘White savior’ and told him he was intimidated by ‘Black excellence’ in a hearing
The Fifth Circuit Judicial Council temporarily removed Judge Ada Brown from her docket earlier this month.
A federal judge in Texas has been ordered to sit for a psychiatric examination during a judicial misconduct investigation. According to Fox News, the order comes after an April 24 hearing where U.S. District Judge Ada Brown of the Northern District of Texas told a Latino attorney that he was intimidated by “Black excellence.” The Fifth Circuit Judicial Council has also taken Brown off her docket on a temporary basis.
Attorney Ezra Young filed a conduct complaint against Brown in May, after she had taken away his permission to practice in her court. Young had represented a Black professor in a tenure discrimination suit against Southern Methodist University, which he joined in 2022. At the April hearing, Young faced possible sanctions over Brown’s allegation that he posted sealed filings online.
Brown accused Young of “bullying” the Black lawyers handling the matter. The transcript shows her stating, “You’re the White savior, come to save all the stupid Black lawyers in Texas who need your help from New York.” Young replied, “I’m not White, Your Honor,” and told her he is Latino. The judge then described him as “White presenting” and “fair-skinned.”
The remarks at the hearing
Brown also stated, “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.” She labeled him a “Chad,” a term she compared to “Karen,” and described that type as someone who escalates to the manager when things do not go their way.
Brown also objected to a published article that cited Young’s brief and quoted a professor likening the tenure fight to a “lynching.” She asked Young to explain where the term originated in this dispute. Brown answered the complaint on July 28. She stated, “I do not believe my demeanor was inappropriate at any time, especially during the candid conversations about race,” and added, “I take to heart the lessons I have learned from this experience.”
She also asked the chief judge to weigh her “commitment to being mentored by senior judges with more experience in such situations.” In a 76-page written response, she denied having a mental health issue, and she has stated she will not take part in the proceedings that followed the complaints. Chief Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod of the Fifth Circuit filed a complaint of her own. About two weeks after Brown’s July 28 response, Elrod created a special committee to examine Young’s allegations.
A special judicial committee ordered the psychiatric examination as part of the probe. Brown emailed Young’s complaint along with her answer to a group that included lawyers, judges and some news organizations. Other federal judges have also made headlines this year, including Judge Emmet Sullivan threatening DOJ and an appeals panel blocking Judge Boasberg.
Brown joined the Texas federal bench in March 2019, appointed by President Donald Trump. No Black woman had served on that court before her.
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