Judge Vanessa Harris appointed to replace racist Judge Michelle Odinet

Kinda hate that it had to happen this way but also, karma *Kanye shrug*

Source: boonchai wedmakawand / Getty

Last week, BOSSIP reported on the racist rant that now-former-Judge Michelle Odinet went on in a viral video while ki-ki’ing with her family about a home invasion. God only knows how many times the clip has been shared online at this point but the internet has done its thing and her time on the bench has come to a disgraceful end. According to The Daily Beast, Odinet was disqualified by the Louisana Supreme Court on Friday. Moreover, Odinet’s son Elijah was also kicked off of the LSU track team as he was clearly heard calling the Black man in the video a “ni**er”. Michelle Odinet being barred from the court means she can no longer practice judiciary duties.

As a result of her dismissal, Odinet needed to be replaced and an article in Yahoo! News explains that her successor will instantly become a historical figure. Judge Vanessa Harris will become the first African-American woman to ever be appointed to the Lafayette City Court. Again, it would have been nice to see this take place under less egregious circumstances but by all accounts, Judge Harris is more than deserving of such a post.

Here is a brief description of her background per an article in The Advocate:

Harris earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science from Southern University in 1985 and her juris doctorate from Southern University Law Center in 1988. She began her career practicing with the Harris & Harris Law Firm in 1988 and served as an assistant district attorney in St. Landry Parish from 1988-2008. She made history in 2009 when she was elected Opelousas City Court Judge, becoming the first female and first Black to serve on that bench. She served as judge of Opelousas City Court until her retirement in December 2020.

Let’s normalize Black women taking the jobs and careers of all soup cookie Karens around the globe.