On Friday, August 30, 2024, The Detroit News reported that Oakland County Probate Court Judge Kathleen Ryan has been placed on indefinite leave pending the results of a judicial misconduct investigation.
According to a statement from Oakland County spokesperson Bill Mullan, Judge Ryan was removed from her docket on Tuesday due to an ongoing investigation by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission into allegations of unprofessional conduct.
A visiting judge or judges will assume Judge Ryan’s caseload while the Commission’s probe is ongoing. The commission examines claims of impropriety both on and off the bench by members of the judiciary. At this time, there are no public cases before the commission involving Judge Ryan, who was first elected to the probate court in 2010 and has been a practicing attorney since 1996.
In 2021, Judge Ryan was charged with a misdemeanor domestic violence offense but the charge was dismissed in March 2022.
No further details about the alleged misconduct under investigation by the Commission were provided.
Source: The Detroit News
