Judge resigns after racially "off-color" remarks

A Covington municipal court judge has resigned after making racially prejudice comments about color.

FOX 5 Atlanta obtained exclusive audio where Judge Steven Hawthoe made a prejudice comments during the court procedure to an African-American woman.

On the recording, Hawthoe could be hear saying, "I get so sick of giving young African Americans criminal histories but it's because y'all get in trouble. Do you understand? And then we give you pretrial diversion and you throw it away and then you got this tag hanging around your neck for the rest of your life that says 'criminal.'" 

The Court Clerk called these and other comments "totally inappropriate." Last June, you can hear the judge making a remark regarding number of Hispanics in open court.

"Although the economy has tued south and don't see as many of my brown brothers from Mexico in the courts."

During his resignation speech on Monday, Hawthoe did not apologize for his comments but instead he explained them.

"I don't have any problems saying looking at the council in the eye and saying young black people are still disadvantaged in our society and that apparently offends people and no offense was necessary," Hawthoe told the council. 

Hawthoe's his job has been posted on the county's website. He is still a judge in the City of Oxford.