Judge Sanctioned for Calling Crack Addiction a ‘Black Man’s Disease’
A former South Carolina judge who called crack cocaine addiction a “black man’s disease” has agreed to stay off the bench and consented to a public reprimand.
Magistrate George Peter Lamb of Beaufort County was accused of making the cocaine remark while discussing a warrant, the Associated Press reports. The South Carolina Supreme Court said the reprimand is the most serious sanction that can be imposed on a former judge. Lamb resigned and agreed not to seek judicial office without first obtaining permission from the court.
In an opinion released today, the court said that Lamb also “admits engaging in behavior that, while unintentional, could reasonably have been viewed as inappropriate by female employees.”
On other occasions, he “reacted in an overly harsh manner” to a speaker at a domestic violence seminar, incorrectly advised a defendant of the potential criminal penalty, and directed a defendant in a domestic violence case to look at the victim, which was contrary to previous instructions.
