McPhail was fired because of a fight over her superintendent credentials -- a fight thats been ongoing for two years. Several other states received failing grades. Law360, New York (January 7, 2015, 6:48 PM EST) -- The Sixth Circuit has revived some elements of former Michigan judge Sylvia James' suit over her 2011 removal, saying the pleadings may. Michigan is doing a fairly aggressive job of rooting out misconduct.". Commission complaint Internship Survey For Managers, Correction: An earlier version of this story should have said Sylvia James is a former Wayne County judge. James Justin, a district court judge in Jackson, removed in 2012 after dismissing traffic tickets for his wife and members of his court staff without notifying prosecutors. Corrupt Judge Sylvia A. James - Court Victim Network width: 57%; She was defeated by Sabrina Johnsonin the general election on November 6, receiving 33.67 percent of the vote. page entitled, "Re-Elect Judge Sylvia A. James 22nd District court," although the most recent post is from July 2. After Inkster District Judge Sylvia James was removed from the bench in 2012 for misusing public funds, including money meant for crime victims, she ran for her old seat in the following November election. Sylvia James, Inkster district court judge, removed from the bench in 2012 for misusing public funds meant for crime victims, then lying to the Judicial Tenure Commission about it. Coleman was pushed out of Detroit public schools and reached a plea deal in 2008 in connection with a bribery scandal in Dallas schools. Bay Mills temporarily suspended the school board and appointed a conservator who fired McPhail. That phone is currently in the custody of the state police. .widget-row { Anyone mentioned by name in any article is welcome to file a response. More than $131,000 is believed to have been misappropriated,accordingto the Supreme Court. Last fall, Brennan testified she had the cell phone restored to factory settings, contrary to her previous testimony in her 2016 divorce case. Dennis Wiley, Berrien County district judge, issued a public censure after he found a woman in contempt and jailed her for 10 days over Christmas because court clerks told him she had muttered an obscenity in the clerk's office while attempting to take care of traffic tickets. The commissions executive director and general counsel, Paul Fischer, asked that James be removed from office, banned from ever again serving as a judge, and pay $81,000 in fines. The Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association rated candidates running for judicial office in 2012. The comments of visitors or guest authors to the website are their opinions and do not therefore reflect our opinions. Sanders, on the bench since 2008, wrote the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit in 2013 that her fellow judges were being murdered to stop them from revealing wrongdoing and that she, too, was in imminent danger. Box 536 New Roads LA 70760 8-225-638-5532. (AP) A New York state judge was convicted Monday of obstructing a federal probe into one of the nation's oldest and largest credit unions for over a half million . Therefore, since her paid suspension in April 2011 through Jan 2012, shes received $116,600 in undeserved and unearned wages from the taxpayers of Michigan. padding-left: 10px; We do not practice law. READ : Sharon McPhail due in court after being fired, refusing to. "I would regard that form of accountability as reliable," said law professor Geyh. Bay Mills Community College, the authorizer for Detroit Community Schools, made the decision. The public punishment of judges may prompt those remaining on the bench to behave, she said. Cynthia Gray, the director of the center and considered one of nation's experts on judicial ethics, has been watching the Michigan judiciary with interest. She was defeated by Sabrina Johnson in the general election on November 6, receiving 33.67 percent of the vote.[3][4][5]. The law is a gray area at best. The process is secretive and often lengthy. background-color: red; The Committee to Expose Dishonest and Incompetent Judges, Attorneys and Public Officials, Judge Sylvia James of Detroit; arrogant Whatchmakallit, embezzler. Retired Judge Ann Mattson was master of the hearing, and was responsible for investigating the allegations. Morning Docket: 08.03.12 - Above the LawAbove the Law Dennis Wiley, a district court judge in Berrien County in southwest Michigan, was publicly censured in 2012 after he found a woman in contempt and threw her in jail for 10 days because she. In addition, records show 231 phone calls representing 1,147 minutes between Brennan and Furlong between November 2011 through December 2012. Judge Sylvia James He also feigned taking off his shirt, according to news reports of the time. Utilizzando il nostro sito web l'utente dichiara di accettare e acconsentire allutilizzo dei cookies. Recently the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission filed misconduct charges against Judge James. James attorney implied that the allegations were politically motivated, since they were only made after the judge opposed the policies of the mayor. She repeatedly contacted an Oakland County judge regarding her divorce pending in that court and forged a document, then lied about it. 2013) case opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Amy is also a graduate of Harvard, where she majored in comparative religion. 22nd District Court Inkster Michigan | 248-398-7100 Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Sylvia James says her constitutional rights were violated . } in Re Hon Sylvia a James :: Michigan Supreme Court :: Administrative Whatever this website says about the law is presented in the context of how we or others perceive the applicability of the law to a set of circumstances if one of us (or some other author) was in the circumstances under the conditions discussed. The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, made up of five judges, two attorneys and two citizens oversees the complaints, investigates and holds hearings. Sylvia moved off the property last fall, after the town filed the suit, and since then has been living in an apartment on Daniel Webster Highway (Route 3). All rights reserved (About Us). The Judicial Tenure Commission's 2019 photo inside their offices in the Cadillac Place, where State of Michigan offices are held, in Detroit's New Center, Aug. 5, 2019. Sharon McPhail fights firing from school in court, Detroit charter school says it has fired Sharon McPhail. Fischer said the number of complaints about misbehaving judges have remained steady, though recent cases have garnered much more attention, likely because they have involved titillating behavior like sex, theft and lying that ended up in headlines. Sabrina Johnson is a judge of the Michigan 22nd District Court. The school is unable to get financing because of McPhail's credentialing issue. Judge Sylvia James has moved for my disqualification in this Judicial Tenure Commission matter. In the court's opion that issuedTuesday, James was also ordered topaycosts, fees and expenses incurred in prosecuting the complaint, along with appropriate restitution. She wassuspended without pay in Decemberandfound guilty of misconduct in April. Inkster District Judge Sylvia James removed from bench; seeks Humble yourself by quitting your life's work of getting what you want, and trust God to exalt you far above anything you could have done for yourself (James 4:710). Copyright 2018 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. "I tend to see this as the glass half-full.". color: black; On Monday, proceedings will start to remove yet another Michigan judge from the bench. It also said she committed misconduct by failing to recuse herself immediatelyfrom her own divorce case and used the delay to dispose of evidence. Please, Michigan judicial elections, 2012 - District Courts, Judicial Tenure Commission, Former Complaint No. More: Former court clerk: Theresa Brennan said Kowalski was guilty before murder trial began. .widget-row.value-only.white { On July 31, 2012, the Michigan Supreme Court removed James from office for the remainder of her term which ended December 31. State Supreme Court asked to suspend Judge Theresa Brennan without pay (Detroit News). They then rate the judge as qualified or not and make the information public on the secretary of state website and in paid advertising. The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission filed a request late Tuesday evening asking. Lied under oath during an investigation into the various allegations. Rachel married the love of her life, Michael A. Bomasuto on October 16,1948 in Silver . Sylvias annual salary is about $140,000 or $11,666 a month. Her report subsequently found that James used part of the court budget for charitable donations around the city, which would amount to a misappropriation of funds. Judge Sylvia James removed from bench - YouTube ", Others say that while the trend is troubling, Michigan residents should be encouraged by the prosecution of bad judges. The Michigan Board of Education says McPhail does not have her administrator certification and the school is not in compliance with the law. Below are but a few examples of Arrogant Sylvias illegal expenditure of court funds for personal use: Catering, flowers and professional photography at courts annual Law Day at Inkster High School, Donations to Inkster High School alumni gatherings including her sisters 40, $3,218 to attend a Natl Assoc of Drug Court Professionals in Boston, Hosed the court for a personal flight to New York City, Bilked court for airfare even though she used her own frequent flyer miles for the cost, Money to help pay for an Inkster High School sports championship celebration, Gave $4,500 to the Inkster Auxiliary Police for picnics and unspecified supplies, The Michigan Supreme Court suspended Sylvia in April 2011 after the Judicial Commission filed its charges, which included a claim that she tapped the court fund for over $100,000 in travel, landscaping, untaxed bonus pay and new uniforms for Inkster High School junior varsity cheerleaders. The comments of visitors or guest authors to the website are their opinions and do not therefore reflect our opinions. Tireless advocate for victims of domestic violence. James' lawyer had argued that she didn't take any court funds for personal benefit.