A Black man's drug conviction has been vacated after a White judge said the man 'looks like a criminal'

A Black man in Michigan had his drug conviction vacated due to a district court judge saying the man "looks like a criminal to me," according to a federal appellate court ruling.

Leron Liggins was sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison in March 2022 by US District Court Judge Stephen J. Murphy, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan.

Murphy, who is White, made the comment about Liggins during a January 2020 court hearing, according to the appellate court ruling filed Thursday.

"Among the many disparaging remarks about Liggins that the district judge made, the most troubling is that Liggins 'looks like a criminal to me,'" the appellate court opinion said.

Regardless of Murphy's "intended meaning, we must consider the interpretation that a reasonable observer of this public hearing could have made, for we must guard against not only actual bias but also the appearance of bias, which 'demeans the reputation and integrity' of the court of which the district judge is a part," the appellate court said.

CNN reached out to Murphy's office for comment.

At another hearing after the remarks were made, the judge apologized to Liggins for losing his temper, saying he was frustrated with the many delays in the case, which had been pending since 2018, and was not prejudiced against Liggins.