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Louisiana NAACP demands immediate resignation of judge over racist messages following WBRZ report

4 years 3 weeks 5 days ago Friday, February 21 2020 Feb 21, 2020 February 21, 2020 10:10 PM February 21, 2020 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE- State NAACP President Mike McClanahan and Baton Rouge Chapter NAACP President Eugene Collins, who also represents Ascension Parish, are demanding the resignation of Judge Jessie Leblanc following racist messages that a deputy said he received from her phone. Leblanc's attorney, Jill Craft, has denied Leblanc sent the racist messages.

Friday, the WBRZ Investigative Unit checked with the sheriff's offices in Ascension, Assumption and St. James parishes. All of them said Leblanc never reported her phone lost or stolen. They searched their criminal record systems for stolen phones involving her phone number and name, nothing came up.

Click here to read the full NAACP statement

The number the racist text messages were allegedly sent from is the same number the WBRZ Investigative Unit has reached Judge Leblanc on as recently as last month. 

The president of the NAACP's Baton Rouge chapter, Collins, said he has been in touch with the national chapter as well. He said if Leblanc does not resign, demonstrations will begin next week at her offices.

Leblanc presides over cases in Ascension, Assumption and St. James parishes.

"Every single case she has ever touched should be questioned," Collins said. 

The WBRZ Investigative Unit first published the racist messages Thursday afternoon. Assumption Parish Sheriff's Deputy Bruce Prejean said he received them from Leblanc's phone. Prejean signed a sworn affidavit Thursday, admitting the messages he received had not been altered and were in the original form as received from Leblanc's phone. 

The messages show what appear to be a scorned woman. Prejean admitted to having a lengthy relationship with the judge that went on for years. WBRZ counted at least six times that a racial slur beginning with the letter "n" was used.

**EDITORIAL NOTE: WBRZ has chosen not to publish the racist word. However, the text messages provided to WBRZ-TV contained the pejorative term.

 

LEBLANC'S PHONE: That ni**** will not be the cause of my suffering. She will f****** suffer.

LEBLANC'S PHONE: I don't care if she loses her job.

Later texts continue...

LEBLANC'S PHONE: Said to quit letting you play with me. That I'm better than the ni**** you are making a fool of me with and had a printout of phone calls.

LEBLANC'S PHONE: Goodbye

LEBLANC'S PHONE: And you don't have to pretend we are friends in front of other people. I've also learned not to be fake. 

LEBLANC'S PHONE: So if someone has a question refer them to me. 

LEBLANC'S PHONE: And if you feel the need to share my text messages-please share them all so they get the FULL story.

LEBLANC'S PHONE: I'm sure you are with thug ni**** Erick. He is such a good friend. 

LEBLANC'S PHONE: I can't wait till the day he is called out for what he is. Dirty cop. Thug. Ni****.

LEBLANC'S PHONE: I guess this time ends with sour grapes too and an inability to talk. It's ok. I'll be just fine. 

PREJEAN: I see how you feel. I'm still your friend. 

LEBLANC'S PHONE: Friends don't call friends liars. 

LEBLANC'S PHONE: I suppose we have different definitions of what a friend is. 

LEBLANC'S PHONE: If Brianne makes you happy- good for you. I just feel sorry for your kids and grandkids. 

LEBLANC'S PHONE: What an embarrassment

PREJEAN: I'm not seeing Brianne

LEBLANC'S PHONE: At least I was NEVER unfaithful to you with ANYONE- much less a ni****.

Other messages we received after the sworn affidavit was made public show what appear to be refusals by Judge Leblanc to sign paperwork for the Assumption Sheriff's Office. 

"And your people will never get s*** signed by me. So don't even send it," one text reads from her phone to Prejean.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit reached out to Craft for an on-camera interview Friday. We have not heard back. 

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