Former Detroit Judge Kahlilia Davis Barred From 2026 Judicial Ballot Over Ongoing Suspension

On Thursday, April 30, 2026, The Detroit News reported that former Detroit judge Kahlilia Davis was disqualified from appearing on the ballot for an open judge’s seat in Detroit’s 36th District Court. The Michigan Bureau of Elections made the decision, citing her existing six-year suspension from the bench, which began in 2023 due to misconduct.

Davis submitted her nominating petitions to the state on April 21, seeking to run for one of six open positions in the 36th District Court during the August 4 primary. However, according to a letter from Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater to Robert Davis, the department will not certify her candidacy because her suspension extends through 2029.

Robert Davis, who is unrelated to Kahlilia Davis, filed a challenge to her candidacy. Tambir Ahmed, a Wayne County resident, also filed a lawsuit in Michigan’s Court of Claims, requesting that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson decline to certify Kahlilia Davis.

Brater stated that the Department independently determined Davis was ineligible to appear on the ballot. He cited the Michigan Constitution, Const 1963, art 6 §30, asserting the Secretary of State’s legal duty to withhold certification.

The Michigan Supreme Court initially suspended Davis in 2023 for six years due to misconduct. The 2023 ruling stipulated that even if Davis were elected or appointed, she would be prohibited from exercising the powers of the office until her suspension concludes. Davis had also attempted to have her name on the 2024 ballot, but Judge Christopher Yates ruled in June 2024 that she could not be certified as a judicial candidate due to her suspension.

The suspension stemmed from a pattern of misconduct on the bench that “besmirched the judiciary’s reputation and prejudiced the administration of justice.” The Michigan Supreme Court initially suspended Davis in June 2020, and she has not been on the bench since.

In 2023, the Supreme Court deemed Davis’ misconduct “pervasive,” encompassing the continued abuse of contempt powers, multiple summary dismissals of cases involving a process server she distrusted, intentional disconnection of courtroom recording equipment, and recording courtroom proceedings on her personal cellphone.

The Supreme Court noted that much of Davis’ misconduct occurred while she was on the bench, impacting the administration of justice and undermining the justice system’s ability to find the truth. She dismissed potentially meritorious claims, and the absence of hearing transcripts or recordings hindered proper appeals.

Davis’ term as judge in Detroit’s 36th District Court expired in January 2023, and she did not seek reelection after the Michigan Secretary of State determined she lied on her affidavit of identity. Davis had been accused twice of misconduct by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, including being cited in March 2020 for holding court proceedings without a proper record.

Davis faced scrutiny soon after her term began in January 2017. Following surgery, she cited an infection as the reason for her absence from the courthouse, according to an Associated Press report in March 2017.

Former Chief Judge Nancy Blount removed Davis from her docket in October 2017 due to her “demonstrated inability” to perform her job. Blount also ordered Davis in February 2019 not to bring any weapons to work, required her to go through security screening before entering the courthouse, and banned her from using the judge’s door. A month later, Blount banned Davis from hearing cases because she was not using video recording equipment during hearings.