Hon. Kathleen A. Ryan was elected to the Oakland County Probate Court on November 2, 2010.
Photo from Oakland County
PONTIAC, MI – Oakland County Probate Judge Kathleen Ryan has been removed from her docket following allegations of making racist and anti-gay remarks in private conversations. Court administrator Edward Hutton provided recordings in which Ryan allegedly called Black people “lazy” and used a slur while referring to Oakland County Executive David Coulter, who is openly gay.
One of the recordings captured Ryan saying, “I’m not systemically racist. I’m a new racist,” further intensifying the controversy. These comments, shared with Oakland County officials and Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, led to Ryan’s removal on August 27 for unspecified misconduct.
“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.”
Chief Probate Judge Linda Hallmark suspended Ryan with pay while the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission investigates the situation. Ryan has not commented on the situation, but her attorneys, Gerald Gleeson and Thomas Cranmer, stated, “We look forward to vindicating Judge Ryan in the appropriate forum.”
An investigation is ongoing, and Ryan’s future on the bench remains uncertain as the legal community grapples with the implications of her remarks.
