On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, ClickOnDetroit reported that Oakland County Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig is seeking to dismiss three out of four misconduct allegations filed against her. Hartig, who has served as a judge for the 52-4 District Court in Troy since January 2011, is facing a complaint issued by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission on June 4, 2025.

The allegations against Hartig include failure to submit a psychological exam report, making false statements to the commission, mistreating employees, and improperly dismissing cases. A motion was filed on Hartig’s behalf on September 5, 2025, requesting the dismissal of three of these allegations.

The motion argues that Hartig had no obligation to share her psychological examination report with the commission. The commission ordered Hartig to undergo a psychological evaluation in light of a previous investigation into alleged misconduct. While the evaluation was completed on June 6, 2024, and provided to Hartig, she did not submit it to the commission until December 5, 2024, following multiple requests and extensions.

The motion states that the commission cannot prove misconduct based on alleged false statements without demonstrating an intent to mislead, arguing that Hartig could not have intended to mislead the commission about its own files. Furthermore, the motion asserts that Hartig was not required to adjust her court schedule simply because one party requested an adjournment, contending that a mere legal error is not grounds for disciplinary action.

The complaint details several accusations against Hartig, including allegations of pressuring a court administrator to hire her friend in early 2018 and demanding constant availability from the administrator via email or cell phone, even during approved absences. She is also accused of berating a probation officer and the court administrator while on the bench.

In October 2019, Hartig allegedly criticized the court administrator for attending a funeral and insisted on daily contact unless the administrator was unconscious. Further, in February 2020, she allegedly restricted the court administrator’s lunch break and mandated that she inform Hartig and the chief judge of her whereabouts whenever she left the building.

The complaint also states that Hartig told the court administrator not to cancel her court docket at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and sent a disrespectful email to the chief judge when reminded of the rules. In January 2021, she allegedly told a public defender that his argument made her want to “put a hatchet in his neck.”

Additionally, Hartig is accused of instructing a new magistrate to handle her civil motions in May 2021, despite lacking the authority to do so. In July 2021, she allegedly told a pregnant probation officer to show her belly to participants in a Zoom meeting, and is accused of bullying two other probation officers in August 2023. The commission alleges that Hartig frequently exceeded her authority and mistreated employees, creating a climate of fear that obstructed the court’s administrative functions.

Hartig is also accused of failing to maintain her state law docket on state law days, complicating scheduling for the prosecutor’s office. The complaint cites an instance in 2022 where Hartig allegedly denied an assistant prosecuting attorney’s request to adjourn a preliminary examination due to a witness’ COVID-19 diagnosis, leading to the improper dismissal of the case. She is also accused of improperly dismissing other cases due to prosecutor scheduling conflicts during the pandemic.

In December 2024, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard criticized Hartig’s decision to lower the bond for two individuals who were later connected to the killing of Deputy Bradley Reckling in June 2024.

 

 

Source: ClickOnDetroit