On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, the Detroit Free Press reported that 52-4 District Court Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig in Troy, Michigan, recused herself from multiple cases involving the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, following a public complaint filed by the state’s Judicial Tenure Commission. The decision marked a reversal from the previous week when Hartig had denied similar recusal motions.
On June 17, Hartig granted 17 recusal requests from prosecutors, according to Bill Mullan, Oakland County’s public information officer. The prosecutor’s office and county officials confirmed the judge’s actions. The recusal motions stemmed from allegations detailed in a rare, public complaint by the Judicial Tenure Commission, which investigates judicial misconduct in Michigan. The complaint accused Hartig of dismissing cases with prejudice—preventing them from being refiled—due to a personal dispute with the prosecutor’s office over scheduling issues.
The prior week, on June 10, Assistant Prosecutor Bob Zivian repeatedly requested Hartig’s recusal during court proceedings, citing the Judicial Tenure Commission’s complaint. Zivian noted that both Hartig’s former and current chief judges were among those who could testify against her, arguing that his office could not receive a fair hearing in her courtroom. Hartig rejected these motions, stating that the prosecutor’s office was aware of an ongoing oversight investigation before the complaint became public and that no prior concerns had been raised. She also mentioned mutual grievances filed between herself and the prosecutor’s office in recent years, though she was unsure of the status of her own complaints.
During the June 10 proceedings, Zivian reported that Chief Judge Travis Reeds had granted recusals in two cases on appeal. Hartig and Zivian reviewed additional cases individually, with Hartig denying recusal motions but adjourning the cases to allow Zivian to pursue further appeals. By the end of that week, Reeds had granted eight recusals on appeal, Mullan confirmed.
In addition to the improper dismissal allegations, the Judicial Tenure Commission’s complaint accused Hartig of fostering a “climate of fear” among court staff and delaying the submission of a May 2024 psychological evaluation report. The report, which described Hartig as “unsafe to practice” due to disruptive behavior and personality dysfunction, prompted restrictions on her caseload. Since late May, Hartig has been assigned only new civil, landlord-tenant, and small claims cases.
Daniel Cherrin, a spokesperson for Hartig from North Coast Strategies in Royal Oak, declined to comment on the judge’s shift from denying to granting recusal motions. In a previous statement, Cherrin said Hartig was awaiting an opportunity to respond to the allegations and described the process leading to the complaint as “flawed.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
