Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Byron C. Williams submitted his resignation on Wednesday, a year and a half after his suspension from the bench amid allegations of groping and other inappropriate sexual behavior.

Williams has been sidelined since July 2018, when he agreed to an "interim disqualification" as the Louisiana Judiciary Commission looked into his behavior in the courthouse. He has continued to receive his full $152,000 annual salary.

The status of the Judiciary Commission investigation wasn't immediately clear, and Williams made no mention of the controversy in his resignation letter.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to have served the citizens of New Orleans," Williams said in the letter, which was first reported by WDSU-TV.

Investigations into allegations of judicial misconduct are often shrouded in secrecy in Louisiana. But as The New Orleans Advocate first reported in September 2017, Williams was accused of cupping the breast of a clerk who worked for a different judge. He was also accused of making inappropriate comments to the woman.

In another complaint, Williams was accused of making inappropriate comments while dealing with his drug court docket. The Orleans Public Defenders said that Williams made comments about a female staff attorney's appearance in front of a courtroom full of drug court defendants.

Williams has denied the harassment allegations, and his attorney has called the breast incident a "misunderstanding."

Williams, a former federal prosecutor who was first elected as a judge in 2014, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Judiciary Commission has never commented publicly on Williams' case. The commission acts in secret until it makes a discipline recommendation to the Louisiana Supreme Court, which makes the final decision.

Robert Gunn, a spokesman for the high court, said it never received a discipline recommendation in Williams' case.

In past cases, some judges have resigned rather than face a hearing before the high court. Pointing to the secrecy of the Judiciary Commission process, Gunn said he had no information on the status of the case against Williams.

Williams' resignation could set up a scramble for candidates to fill his judgeship in Section G of Criminal District Court. The Secretary of State's Office said that because of the timing of his resignation there would be no need for a special election.