County’s state legislators support petition demanding Brennan’s suspension

State Sen. Lana Theis, state Rep. Hank Vaupel, and state Rep. Ann Bollin on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, again voiced strong support for a second petition filed with the state Supreme Court by the Joint Tenure Commission requesting that 53rd District Court Judge Theresa Brennan be suspended without pay.

A previous petition was denied Jan. 25.

Brennan is under investigation for various alleged crimes and misdeeds, including having an affair with the lead detective in a murder case she was presiding over. She now faces criminal charges for perjury and tampering with evidence. If you want all the details, click here.

“Theresa Brennan has lost her docket and her bench, and there is no logical reason as to why she should be receiving a paycheck,” said Theis, R-Brighton. “The JTC is absolutely right to demand that she be suspended without pay, and I strongly encourage the Supreme Court to follow through. Brennan has failed our community and her profession, and the more time all of us spend dealing with this, the less time is spent serving the needs of Livingston County residents—let’s finally get this resolved so we can all move on.”

Bollin again called for Brennan’s resignation.

“Judge Brennan has been given another opportunity to do the right thing and resign,” said Bollin, R-Brighton. “While that is unexpected given her latest actions, we need the Supreme Court to handle this case expeditiously so that justice can be served to all parties involved, including the taxpayers.”

Vaupel agreed.

“The taxpayers of Livingston County have been paying for this travesty for far too long,” said Vaupel, R-Fowlerville. “This must stop now.”

A Freedom of Information Act request filed by Theis and Vaupel in December 2018 revealed that since Brennan lost her docket in June 2018, Livingston County has paid her $25,507.44 in salary, as well as $28,580.60 in salary for the visiting judge who is covering in her absence. Livingston County taxpayers cover roughly 50 percent of the salary expenses while state taxpayers cover the rest. In total, taxpayers have paid over $108,000 in salary expenses along with additional $75,000 in legal fees defending Judge Brennan during her JTC complaint.

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The Livingston Post is the only locally owned, all-digital information and opinion site in Livingston County, Mich. It was launched by award-winning journalists who were laid off from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2009.