Federal Judge Apologizes for Racist Email Joke About Obama

Montana U.S. District Chief Judge Richard Cebull apologized on Wednesday for sending a racist email joke about President Obama from his official email address.

Cebull, who has been Chief Judge for Montana since 2008, was nominated by former President George W. Bush.

According to a USA Today report, the subject line of the racist e-mail that Cebull sent from his official courthouse e-mail address on Feb. 20 at 3:42 p.m. reads: A MOM'S MEMORY.

The email text follows:

Normally I don't send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.

A little boy said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?' the offensive joke reads. His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!'

Cebull admitted to sending the email to seven recipients, which included his personal email address. He said the email was intended to be a private communication and that he doesn't consider himself a racist.

It was not intended by me in any way to become public, the judge said. I apologize to anybody who is offended by it and I can obviously understand why people would be offended, he said.

Cebull, who received the email from his brother, said he is not a fan of the President but admitted that the email goes beyond not being a fan.

The only reason I can explain it to you is I am not a fan of our president, but this goes beyond not being a fan, Cebull said. I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is. I sent it out because it's anti-Obama.

The White House declined to comment on the incident.