A Detroit judge who in 2024 had a teen girl detained after she fell asleep on a field trip to his courtroom saw his misconduct hearing abruptly halted this week, with the Judicial Tenure Commission and the Michigan Supreme Court now set to weigh a possible deal to close the case.
Currently, the details of the settlement for 36th District Judge Kenneth King are not public.
The case against King entered its second day of testimony on Sept. 15 with accusations King failed to follow the law and was disrespectful to the teenager and another lawyer he had detained. However, after getting through one witness, lawyers on both sides announced they had reached a tentative consent agreement and wanted to pause the hearing as they seek approval for the deal from the JTC and, ultimately, the Michigan Supreme Court.
Commission lawyers discussed possible agreements with King’s team before the public hearing kicked off on Sept. 14, said Glenn Page, the interim executive director and general counsel for the commission.
That was the same day the teenage girl testified for hours about her fear and embarrassment at being forced into handcuffs, jail garb and a mock trial in which her peers laughed and voted, at King’s behest, on whether she should go to juvenile detention. King has previously defended his actions and argued he did not violate judicial canons.
Neither Page nor King’s attorney, Todd Perkins, would reveal details on any agreed upon sanction on Sept. 15. Page said the agreement would not be made public until the state Supreme Court made a decision.
However, the proposed agreement deals with the professional misconduct case tied to the teenage girl, Page said. The commission would drop the part of the case tied to the lawyer who was detained in a different encounter.
Gary Felty, a lawyer for the teenager, said he was proud of the now-17-year-old Eva Goodman and thought her performance on the stand likely played a role in resolving the case with a settlement.
“She did a fantastic job testifying and that may have been a crucial factor in deciding whether to resolve the matter or proceed to a determination,” Felty said on Sept. 15.
King still faces a federal lawsuit from Goodman and her family. He recently lost an appeal to have the case thrown out at its current stage, where King unsuccessfully argued he was protected by judicial immunity.
The pause in the misconduct case also means King will not take the stand this week and testify under oath about what happened; he was on a witness list to potentially do just that.
Reporting by Darcie Moran and Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
