THERE GOES THE JUDGE?
In Oakland County political and judicial circles there seems to be a split court of opinion on the fate of Oakland Probate Judge Kathleen Ryan, who is the subject of complaints filed with the Judicial Tenure Commission over what’s being termed “unprofessional conduct” involving phone recordings a court administrator made of the judge making homophobic and racist slurs, including against at least one elected county official. Oakland Probate Court Administrator Edward Hutton recorded an after work hours phone call from the judge in which she labeled Black people as “lazy” and made homophobic slurs about Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, who is gay. We are told the Judicial Tenure Commission will be sending her what is referred to as the ‘28-day letter’ that lays out the charges and gives her that amount of time to respond. In many cases legal counsel for the judge may argue for more time to respond, sometimes an extension that lasts months. When the Judicial Tenure Commission receives her response, then the panel issues formal charges and a master is chosen by the state Supreme Court to conduct what is basically a trial. The master will ultimately make a recommendation to the Supreme Court which will determine the outcome and possible punishment, which could include removal of Ryan from the bench, although some say that is a rarity. In the interim, Ryan has been removed from her docket which will now be handled by a visiting judge. Whether she survives the process is anyone’s guess. Dave Woodward, chair of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, has called for her to resign. Some suggest that judges in similar situations have basically been pushed to resign rather than possibly lose pensions or go through court-ordered rehab if that is even possible when it comes to discriminatory views. The Ryan complaint is sparking other rumors and reminders from her detractors about the 2021 misdemeanor charge she faced of domestic violence involving a boyfriend, a case that was eventually dismissed.
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