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Just Two Drinks? Really? And You Said What To The Police - On Video?

By John Mesirow

Connecticut Judge E. Curtissa Cofield said she had one beer and one mixed drink three hours before her blood alcohol level came in at .17, more than twice the legal limit. What do you think she would say if someone made the same claim in her courtroom?

As reported in The Courant, here's how Judge Cofield was caught:

On Oct. 9 about 10:45 p.m., Cofield sideswiped a parked state police car, occupied by a trooper, with her BMW in a construction zone ...

Instead of being contrite, here are a few things she had to say, as recorded by the police video:

Cofield asked [state police Sgt. Dwight] Washington: "Do you have a reading on my urine test, Negro trooper?"

She refused to sign a form and said: "I'm not signing anything, because when it comes down to the bottom line, who's smarter, me or you? We'll figure it out, won't we?"

"I'm sick of being treated like a freaking Negro from the 'hood," she said. Asked if she had an illness and needed medication, Cofield said, "Negro-itis" and "I need to take anti-Negro, ummm ..."

And this one, which was not in the video, but in the police report:

"Judge Cofield stated that she was the most intelligent person in the room and threatened our careers. ... While speaking on her cellphone, Judge Cofield referred to Sgt. Washington as the 'Head n----- in charge.'"

So what's next for Judge Cofield, Connecticut's first black female judge? The DUI and another charge will be dismissed if she successfully completes an alcohol education program. She's also awaiting word from the Judicial Review Council, which held a hearing on January 26 on misconduct charges against her. Here's the source.

Full post as published by Legal Juice on February 12, 2009 (boomark / email).