Black judge accused of bullying Latino lawyer in court by saying: ‘I think you are very intimidated with Black excellence in light of your White mediocrity’

Ezra Young, a Latino lawyer, filed a misconduct complaint against US District Judge Ada Brown, alleging that she repeatedly insulted him during a Dallas court hearing by making remarks about his perceived race. The hearing concerned whether Young should face sanctions while representing a Black law professor who sued Southern Methodist University over a denied tenure decision.

According to the transcript cited in the article, Brown called Young “intimidated by Black excellence” and accused him of “White mediocrity” and “White privilege”; she also called him a “Chad” and questioned his role in publicising his client’s case. Young denied posting sealed filings online. A judicial investigation followed his complaint, and Brown was temporarily removed from her assigned cases; in a 76-page response, she defended her conduct while acknowledging she could have handled discussions about race “more de”.