PONTIAC, Mich. — A suburban Detroit judge is no longer handling cases after a court official turned over recordings of her making anti-gay insults and referring to Black people as lazy.
Oakland County Probate Judge Kathleen Ryan was removed from her docket on Aug. 27 for unspecified misconduct. Now the court’s administrator has stepped forward to say he blew the whistle on her, secretly recording their phone calls.
“I just want to make it right. … I want to keep my job and do it in peace,” Edward Hutton told WXYZ-TV. “And I want the people in Oakland County that come to court to get a fair shake, to have their day in court, to have an unbiased trier of fact.”
The judge didn’t talk to the TV station, but her attorneys, Gerald Gleeson and Thomas Cranmer, said: “We look forward to vindicating Judge Ryan in the appropriate forum.”
Probate judges in Michigan handle wills and estates, guardianships and cases that involve the state’s mental health laws.
In the phone recordings, Ryan uses a anti-gay slur against David Coulter, the county’s highest elected official, who is gay. She also referred to Blacks in the U.S. as lazy.
“I’m not systemically racist. I’m a new racist,” said Ryan, who was first elected in 2010.
It is legal to record phone calls in Michigan if one party consents. In this matter, it was Hutton, who said Ryan had called him at work and after-hours for years.
Hutton said he sent the recordings in August to Coulter; Elizabeth Clement, the chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court; and other officials. Chief Probate Judge Linda Hallmark then suspended her, with pay, while she’s investigated by a judiciary watchdog, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission.
Her father, James Ryan, was a state and federal judge. A brother, Daniel Ryan, was also a judge.
A Michigan judge has found himself in hot water after derogatory remarks he made about gays and Black people were recorded and circulated online. As a result of his comments, the judge has been stripped of his docket and is facing backlash from the community.
The controversy began when a recording surfaced of the judge making offensive comments about members of the LGBTQ+ community and Black people. In the recording, the judge can be heard making disparaging remarks and using derogatory language to describe these groups of people.
The comments quickly sparked outrage among members of the community, who called for the judge to be held accountable for his words. In response to the backlash, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission took action and removed the judge from his docket, effectively stripping him of his duties as a judge.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of upholding the principles of equality and fairness in the justice system. Judges are expected to be impartial and unbiased in their decision-making, and any hint of prejudice or discrimination can undermine the integrity of the judicial system.
It also highlights the power of social media in holding individuals accountable for their actions. In today’s digital age, recordings and videos can quickly spread online, making it difficult for individuals to escape the consequences of their words and actions.
Moving forward, it is crucial for judges and other public officials to be mindful of their words and actions, both in public and in private. Discriminatory remarks have no place in a just and inclusive society, and those who hold positions of power and authority must be held to a higher standard.
In conclusion, the incident involving the Michigan judge serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of prejudice and discrimination in the justice system. It is a reminder that all individuals, regardless of their position or status, must be held accountable for their words and actions. Only by upholding the principles of equality and fairness can we ensure that justice is truly blind.
