• Contact Us
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
Saturday, December 9, 2023
National Tribune
SUBSCRIBE
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Science
  • Health
  • Opinion
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Science
  • Health
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
NT
No Result
View All Result
Home Uncategorized

Racist Judge Who Allegedly Called a Black Juror ‘Aunt Jemima’ Was Booted Off the Bench Temporarily

by Associated News
February 8, 2020
in Uncategorized
0
Racist Judge Who Allegedly Called a Black Juror ‘Aunt Jemima’ Was Booted Off the Bench Temporarily
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.

A Pennsylvania judge who repeatedly called a black juror “Aunt Jemima” in court has now been suspended from hearing any further cases.

Mark Tranquilli, an Allegheny County Common Pleas judge, was reassigned to administrative duties Tuesday after a peer review. Two days later, the Allegheny Bar Association demanded that he undergo an official investigation for his conduct in court, which has been criticized as offensive, racist, and unbecoming of a judge.

“In remaining steadfast to the Allegheny County Bar Association’s mission and values, we have a duty to our members, our clients, and the African-American and broader communities at large, to continue to take action to eliminate implicit and explicit racial bias in our legal system,” the association’s president, Lori McMaster, said in a statement.

According to defense attorney Joe Otte, Tranquilli went on a racist tirade following the acquittal of a drug suspect last month. After the jury was dismissed, the judge met with Otte and prosecutor Ted Dutkowski and singled out one female juror who wore a headwrap during the entirety of the trial and berated the prosecutor for not properly screening jurors.

“You weren’t out of strikes when you decided to put Aunt Jemima on the jury,” Tranquilli allegedly told Dutkowski, according to a complaint filed with the Judicial Conduct Board. “As soon as she sat down, she crossed her arms and looked like this,” pantomiming a scowl and crossing his arms.

There’s no record of the conversation because there was no court reporter present at the time.

Tranquilli also allegedly referenced the syrup mascot multiple times when referring to the juror and claimed that the woman’s “baby daddy” was likely a heroin dealer, which played a part in the verdict of the case.

Tranquilli was first elected to his current seat in 2013. Prior to becoming a judge, he served as deputy district attorney for the county’s homicide unit. He previously made the news when he “violated the rules of civility” by asking a prosecutor if he needed to “sober up” in a courtroom back in 2005. The remark triggered a heated back-and-forth between the two attorneys, according to the Post-Gazette. Tranquilli later submitted a letter of apology to the judge overseeing the case.

Cover image: (boonchai wedmakawand/Getty Images)

Continue Reading…

Associated News

Associated News

Next Post
Meet the Children Being Armed to Defend a Mexican Village From Drug Cartels

Meet the Children Being Armed to Defend a Mexican Village From Drug Cartels

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

‘Horrific act’: Kabul hospital carnage shakes Afghanistan

‘Horrific act’: Kabul hospital carnage shakes Afghanistan

4 years ago
3 Drawings: Simple and Realistic From the Easiest to the Most Difficult | Marcello Barenghi

3 Drawings: Simple and Realistic From the Easiest to the Most Difficult | Marcello Barenghi | NationalTribune.com

11 months ago

Popular News

    About Us

    National Tribune is an independent newspaper and publishing company owned by the National Tribune Company, formed in 1877 in Washington, D.C.

    • World
    • Business
    • Politics
    • Science
    • Health
    • Opinion
    • Help
    • About Us
    • Subscriptions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Corporate
    • Terms Of Service
    • GDPR

    Connect With us

    • Contact Us

    © 1877 - 2023 NationalTribune.com

    No Result
    View All Result
    • About
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Home
    • Home 1
    • Home 2
    • Home 3
    • Home 4
    • Home 5
    • Homepage
    • Homepage
    • Investor Relations
    • Log In
    • Member Directory
    • My Account
    • My Profile
    • News
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reset Password
    • Sign Up
    • We’re Hiring

    © 1877 - 2023 NationalTribune.com

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In