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Cedric Simpson
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Cedric Simpson is a district court judge for the 14A District Court in Washtenaw County, Michigan.[1] He joined the court in 1999. Simpson served as chief judge for the court from 2002 to 2007.[2]
The Michigan Supreme Court ordered Simpson to begin serving a nine-month suspension without pay in July 2017. He was accused of judicial misconduct for attempting to interfere with the arrest and subsequent investigation of his intern, who had gotten into a car accident while driving under the influence. Read more below.
Biography
Simpson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and his J.D. from the University of Maryland in 1986. Below is a summary of Simpson's professional experience:[2]
- 1999-Present: Judge, 14A District Court
- 1990-1999: Partner, Hamilton, McDonald and Simpson
- 1986-1990: Associate, Hamilton, McDonald, P.C.[2]
Awards and associations
- Appointed State Bar Commissioner, 1997
- Member, Washtenaw County Bar Association
- Former chair, Race, Ethnic and Gender Bias Committee, Washtenaw County Bar Association
- Former president, Washtenaw County Bar Association
- Member and past vice-president, Vanzetti M. Hamilton Bar Association
- Fellow, Michigan State Bar Foundation[2]
Elections
2012
Simpson was re-elected to the 14A District Court after running unopposed in 2012. He received a total of 49,117 votes.[3][4]
Noteworthy events
Misconduct case
Judge Cedric Simpson was ordered by the Michigan Supreme Court to serve a nine-month suspension without pay for interfering in the police investigation of his intern, who was arrested for driving under the influence in 2013.[5]
The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission (JTC) filed a formal complaint against Simpson in November 2014, alleging that Simpson interfered with the field sobriety test on the night Vargas was arrested and asked the city attorney to delay issuing an arrest warrant for Vargas until she could obtain a lawyer.[5]
In August 2015, recommended that he be removed from the bench. That December, the supreme court granted a motion to move the case back to the JTC to consider new evidence. The commission, however, reaffirmed its recommendation of removal in March 2016.[6][7]
The supreme court heard arguments in the case on October 6, 2016. In July 2017, the court ordered Simpson to pay a $7,565 fine and serve a nine-month suspension without pay, effective immediately.[8][9]
- The commission's decision and recommendation for discipline can be read in full here.
- Simpson's response to the commission recommendation can be read in full here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Judge Cedric Simpson Michigan. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Washtenaw County, Michigan
- Michigan District Courts
- Judicial selection in Michigan
- Judge Cedric Simpson judicial misconduct case (2014-2017)
External links
- Michigan 14A District Court, "J. Cedric Simpson Profile"
- Michigan 14A District Court, "14A District Court Judges"
- Michigan Courts, "Washtenaw County"
Additional reading
- Judicial Tenure Commission, "Formal complaint against Judge Cedric Simpson"
- Judicial Tenure Commission, "Answer to formal complaint"
- Judicial Tenure Commission, "Decision and recommendation for discipline"
- Scribd, "Judge Simpson Response to JTC ruling"
Footnotes
- ↑ Michigan 14A District Court, "14A District Court Judges," accessed November 17, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Michigan 14A District Court, "Hon. J. Cedric Simpson Profile," accessed November 17, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, "Official 2012 General Election Results: 14A District Judge," accessed September 9, 2015
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, "2012 Unofficial Michigan Primary Candidate Listing," July 31, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, "Formal Complaint No. 96, Complain Against Hon J. Cedric Simpson," November 12, 2014
- ↑ Mlive, "Judge J. Cedric Simpson's misconduct case gets second chance with commission," December 23, 2015
- ↑ MLive, "Commission reaffirms recommendation to remove Judge J. Cedric Simpson from bench," March 16, 2016
- ↑ MLive, "Washtenaw judge's misconduct case heads to Michigan Supreme Court," September 13, 2016
- ↑ Mlive, "Supreme Court orders judge suspended 9 months for interfering in arrest," July 26, 2017
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan
State courts:
Michigan Supreme Court • Michigan Court of Appeals • Michigan Circuit Court • Michigan Court of Claims • Michigan District Courts • Michigan Municipal Courts • Michigan Probate Courts
State resources:
Courts in Michigan • Michigan judicial elections • Judicial selection in Michigan
