Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Susan Longsworth, who presides in the Brighton courthouse, will no longer hear cases involving minors following complaints against her alleging bias and unequal treatment.
According to reporting from MLive.com, Livingston County Chief Judge Matthew J. McGivney ordered the updated docket, which reassigns Longsworth — who is the Circuit Court Family Division judge — from handling cases involving minors. The reassignment was ordered on June 9, and applies only to cases filed after June 22, .
Longworth was first appointed in March 2024 to the bench by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to fill the partial term left vacant after the resignation of 44th Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty. She was then elected to a full term on the bench in November 2024.
Longsworth was a solo practitioner focusing primarily on criminal defense at the time of her appointment to the bench. Previously, she served for a decade as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office, where she trained police officers and served as lead domestic violence prosecutor responsible for implementing policies to promote evidence-based prosecution and survivor safety.
She earned her law degree from Notre Dame Law School in 2002. She began her career as a law clerk in the Family Division of the 43rd Circuit Court.
Longsworth is a member of the Livingston County Bar Association, Oversight Policy Board for Substance Use Treatment and Prevention, and Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
