Following an incident in which he instructed a girl to put on handcuffs and change into jail clothes during a courtroom field trip, Detroit Judge Kenneth King was temporarily removed from the bench. Chief Judge William McConico of the 36th District Court made the announcement, saying King may receive “necessary instruction” to address the issues that led to the event.
The event occurred when 15-year-old Eva Goodman, who was visiting King’s court as part of a field trip organized by The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit institution, fell asleep. Judge King claimed that she had a more negative attitude, which led him to put her in handcuffs and prison clothing. Even though there is probably no real chance of me putting her in jail, King said,” I wanted this to look and feel quite authentic to her.”
Eva’s family, Latoreya Till, expressed her anger, describing King as a “big bully” and noting that her child was scared and hurt by the encounter. Till explained that her relatives lacks a permanent home, and the preceding day had been challenging, leading to her mother’s lethargy in court.
In response to the event, McConico emphasised the judge’s commitment to providing a polite and intimidation-free setting. ” The deeds of Judge King on August 13th do not indicate this dedication”, McConico stated. He added that King’s removal from the legal situation case and the start of training were approved by the State Court Administrative Office.
King may continue to receive his pay during this time, but the location and details of the training were not made public. King, who has served as a prosecutor since 2006, did not respond to a request for comment.
Marissa Ebersole Wood, the chairman of The Greening of Detroit, criticized King’s method, saying,” Although the judge was trying to teach a session of admiration, his practices were intolerable. If the group of students felt they were disrespectful, they should have been instructed to leave the courthouse.
