Michigan judge suspended by Supreme Court

December 29, 2011

Lansing, Michigan: Judge Sylvia A. James of Michigan's 22nd Judicial District Court, has been suspended with pay as allegations about her improper spending of public funds are investigated. James, who is based in Inkster, was first placed on paid leave in April of 2011, but the state Supreme Court ordered her suspension on December 15. The request for suspension was made by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission in October.

The issue is whether or not James misused $131,000 of public money that was meant to be used for alternative sentencing programs. According to the Judicial Tenure Commission, the judge used the money for things such as Inkster High School cheerleader uniforms, a school European trip fund, a 1970 class reunion and the Inkster Police Auxiliary. Justice Stephen Markman, pointing to the fact that James is currently doing no judicial work, argued that she should be suspended without pay and her salary put into an escrow account. However, Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr. explained that the allegations have yet to be proven.