On Monday, November 10, 2025, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission was scheduled to hold a hearing regarding allegations of misconduct against Judge Joseph Slaven of the 23rd District Court. Judge Slaven, however, did not appear for the proceedings.

Retired state Judge James Fisher, who is overseeing the case as a special master, issued an order stating that due to Judge Slaven’s absence, the allegations outlined in the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission’s complaint are now considered “admitted as true.” Judge Fisher will subsequently prepare a report on the matter.

The scheduled hearing was initially paused following an email sent by Judge Slaven to the Judicial Tenure Commission on Tuesday, November 4, in which he stated his official retirement from his position, rendering the hearing unnecessary. He also claimed to have sent a notice of his resignation to the governor’s office.

Judge Fisher explained that the decision to adjourn the hearing was made under the “erroneous assumption that the public hearing was moot” due to the reported resignation. However, Judge Fisher noted that Judge Slaven was required to first file his resignation with the state court administrator, a step seemingly not taken. Michigan law stipulates that a district judge must submit a written resignation notice to the administrator, with copies sent to the governor and secretary of state.

The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission filed a 10-count public complaint against Judge Slaven in May, alleging multiple violations of judicial canons. The accusations include lying to Chief Judge Victoria Shackelford about recording their conversation, making disparaging remarks about her in public court livestreams and emails, and providing false statements about these comments to commission staff.

The complaint details instances from 2022 to 2024 where Judge Slaven allegedly made “disrespectful” and “undignified” comments about Chief Judge Shackelford during Zoom livestreams, including referring to her as “Shackel-fool.” He is also accused of sending disrespectful emails to her and other court employees.

Further allegations include making veiled references to Chief Judge Shackelford during a February 2023 livestream after she instructed him to ensure his face was visible during Zoom proceedings, as he had previously obscured it with a Bible.

The complaint also states that Judge Slaven supported Judge Shackelford’s opponent in an election, praising the opponent during livestreamed Zoom proceedings and using court resources to print documents about the candidate and voter precinct maps for campaign purposes.

Additional allegations include Judge Slaven’s failure to wear a black robe during Zoom proceedings between 2020 and 2023, concealing his face or not turning on his camera during virtual proceedings, flipping off security cameras in the courthouse, and stating on a livestream that the court’s Zoom staff were incompetent.

In an undated response posted on the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission’s website, Judge Slaven, representing himself, denied the allegations. He accused court staff and the chief judge of misusing court equipment and resources to spy on him. Regarding the recording of conversations with Judge Shackelford, Judge Slaven argued that Michigan law permits such recordings without the other party’s consent. He stated that exercising his right to record the conversation was a good thing for protecting the truth. Judge Slaven also denied publicly supporting Judge Shackelford’s opponent or using courthouse resources to do so.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.