Apology for Hispanic judge told to 'speak English'

A Texas county commissioner has apologised for criticising a local judge who spoke in Spanish during a news conference.

Commissioner Mark Tice faced a swift backlash for saying Judge Lina Hidalgo was a "joke" for not speaking English when answering questions.

Judge Hidalgo had in fact been speaking and translating between both languages.

On Tuesday, Mr Tice said he "regretted" his words, and apologised to the judge and Hispanic community.

Judge Hidalgo is an elected official in Harris County - home to the city of Houston - where 43% of the 4.6 million residents are Hispanic or Latino, according to US Census Bureau data.

She is the first Latina and first woman to be elected as the county's top official, US media reported.