HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice caught up in a government pornographic email scandal apologized today for a “lapse in judgment” but he believes the court’s chief justice is out to get him.

Justice Seamus McCaffery issued a statement that said he is sorry if he offended anyone, but he called criticism of his actions a “cooked-up controversy” that is part of “a vindictive pattern of attacks” against him by Chief Justice Ron Castille.

McCaffery’s statement was issued the day after Castille disclosed that his review of email traffic from the attorney general’s office showed McCaffery sent or received 234 emails with sexually explicit material or pornography.

“I want to reiterate my apology for my lapse in judgment with respect to the offensive emails, personal emails that were made public by the outgoing chief justice,” McCaffery concluded. “It was wrong, and I am sorry.”

McCaffery, 64, was elected to the high court as a Democrat seven years ago. He is a former Philadelphia police officer and also served as a judge on the city’s municipal court and the state Superior Court. McCaffery presided over the so-called Eagles Court that operated inside Veterans Stadium to handle arrests of fans.

He said that “coarse language and crude jokes” were part of his life as a police office and as a Marine.

“That’s not an excuse, just a fact,” McCaffery wrote.

Castille said Wednesday that McCaffery sent most of the emails to a now-retired agent with the attorney general’s office. That agent forwarded the emails to others, he said.

Castille, a Republican and former Philadelphia district attorney, must leave the court at the end of this year because he has reached the mandatory retirement age.

It’s unclear what, if anything, will come of the email disclosure. The court system has said the Supreme Court is reviewing the matter.

Castille “is fixated on taking down a fellow justice with his misleading statements and incredible hypocrisy,” McCaffery wrote.

He said Castille is acting against him because he criticized how Castille handled construction of a large family court building in Philadelphia, as well as the “kids for cash” juvenile justice scandal in Luzerne County.

Castille’s chambers referred questions to an Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts spokeswoman, who did not offer any immediate comment.