There was much celebrating on Facebook for about 30 minutes this morning, as the initial reports out of Lansing said that Livingston County District Court Judge Theresa Brennan had been suspended by the Michigan Supreme Court without pay.
Those reports were shared by numerous media outlets, including the Livingston Post. Then came the harsh reality: the suspension was WITH pay.
What a slap in the face. Again.
We had all spent the morning celebrating the fact that at long last, finally, SOMEBODY was holding Brennan accountable, and then came the slap in the face.
Sorry, Livingston County. Too bad, so sad. You’re just going to have to continue to pay her. She makes $143,844 a year, and the Michigan Supreme Court says we’re just going to have to continue paying her that.
All of the agencies and courts with authority over this case just keep slapping Livingston County taxpayers in the face again and again and again. As I detailed in this rant last month, the Brennan case has been dragging on for two years now.
The Michigan State Police raided her courtroom and home on May 3, 2017, and nearly two years later, nothing has happened. She’s still collecting her paycheck, and as the Supreme Court told us today, that ain’t gonna change anytime soon.
Brennan was removed from hearing cases last summer, so today’s “official” suspension does nothing. Shame on the Michigan Supreme Court for not having the guts to finally do something substantial in this case.
Brennan, of course, is under investigation for a host of 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 to go over all the details, you’ll find it here.
The Judicial Tenure Commission will start presenting its case against Brennan to the Supreme Court next week, but who knows how long this will take. Brennan has shown that she has no intention of resigning, so she’s going to keep dragging this out – and collecting her paycheck – as long as possible. She’s up for re-election in 2020. She might even make it that long before anyone has the courage to do anything.
We can all feel like suckers for celebrating the “suspension without pay” this morning. We should have known better.
