The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission (JTC)’s misconduct case against Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig isn’t just about what happened in her courtroom — it’s about how far some people in power will go to dodge accountability, including unethical Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
In just the past few weeks, we’ve watched the defense strategy unfold: deny everything, spin the timeline, and try to gut the process from the inside. But her Emergency Motion to Compel just got shut down creating cracks for all to see.
It also confirms that Clutch was not only right, but first to the story on the Judicial Tenure Commission’s failed redaction.
Read the Documents Here:
- Hartig’s Response and attachments
- Emergency Motion to Compel
- JTC’s Response
- Master’s Response/Decision
Quick Recap: Why Is Judge Hartig in Trouble?
Hartig stands accused of repeated misconduct, demeaning staff, showing bias, and ignoring the law. The JTC’s charges describe more than a one-time lapse in mistreating her staff; they reveal a pattern that should have disqualified her from the bench long ago.
Clutch Broke It First — And Got It Right
From day one, Clutch uncovered multiple issues within the filings, facts the officials intentionally tried to downplay and keep quiet: the Judicial Tenure Commission’s own documents were not properly redacted, revealing that Judge Hartig has been working even after being deemed “unsafe to practice.”
Clutch was also the first to reveal that Hartig was sent for a psychological evaluation at All Points North (APN), a cushy luxury Colorado facility known for treating high-profile professionals under fire; a fact that the Judicial Tenure Commission has not provided any comment for.
A FOIA request for the cost would prove interesting, if it were doable, as all of this is likely already costing taxpayers way too much money. Thanks to Michigan’s archaic FOIA laws, we won’t get those.
That “accidental” slip, however, exposed something massive: APN staff found Judge Hartig unsafe to practice. In other words, while she was still hearing cases and wielding enormous power, mental health professionals had already flagged her as a risk to the public.
Trying to Have It Both Ways
Now it gets truly shameless. Hartig’s filings try to have it both ways by claiming:
- She accidentally submitted her APN report way back in June 2024, while insisting the JTC was instructed not to read it.
- But then she also says she didn’t officially furnish it until December 2024 — and wants credit for being transparent.
In reality, that’s the Prosecutor’s paradox: “I gave it to you when it helps me — but it doesn’t count if it hurts me.” Which makes sense as she was, after all, once a Prosecutor.
The Ridiculous Excuses: Blame the Rehab, Not Me
And just when you think you’ve heard it all, Hartig’s new spin is that All Points North shouldn’t be trusted because:
- The facility doesn’t specialize in the treatment of lawyers and judges (as if judges are some separate species with unique needs no normal professional could possibly evaluate).
- APN supposedly had a financial motivation for finding her unfit — implying the facility would just declare a judge unsafe to justify more treatment or follow-up business.
Imagine arguing you’re fit to rule on people’s freedom and family rights — while also claiming you can’t be judged by any reputable mental health expert because they “don’t specialize in judges.”
It’s the definition of wanting the gavel but none of the scrutiny.
It also opens the door for argument that no mental health institution should be trusted, as profit, even for a a nonprofit structure, is required to operate a mental health facility.
Additional Denials and Finger-Pointing
In her formal answer, Hartig:
- Denies key allegations outright.
- Admits some facts — but spins them as harmless.
- She also attacks the process and loses.
Hartig’s Emergency Motion to Compel demanded more documents and witness info, claiming her due process rights were at stake. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel called her bluff: they showed she already had exactly what the JTC rules require — and no more.
This week, the Master made it official: Hartig’s motion is mostly denied.
Key points from the Master’s Order:
- The Counsel met its disclosure obligations.
- Hartig doesn’t get unlimited fishing expeditions.
- One minor note: any relevant material must be turned over if it exists, but there’s no bombshell hidden away.
- The hearing moves forward. No more excuses.
The Overall Verdict? Everyone Sucks Here.
Buried in her Answer filing, Judge Hartig included “Tabs A–D” — a tidy package of notes, transcripts, and grievance result letters, taking Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Hall down with her.
Though there are some moments where she sticks it to the Prosecutor’s office, and rightfully so: she calls them out for doing what they want, when they want, and for flat-out lying in motions, failing to appear, claiming they’ll just refile cases later and further inconvenience people’s lives and playing with their freedom.
Smartly, Hartig used dismissals as sanctions against Karen’s staff for overstepping their authority, something that Karen’s office is exceptionally good at as they care more about how things look than whether they are fair.
Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Hall over multiple cases, made excuses to try cases, failed to appear via Zoom for his own motions, and when cases were dismissed, and he’d re-write them take another bite at the apple. All while keeping people incarcerated. Not a partner in due process at all, clearly looking out for number one. For one hearing, he expected three different defense attorneys to bend to his whims and schedule.
What an absolute waste of taxpayer funds. This office is everything that’s wrong with Prosecution as we know it on a grand scale, as they have over 100 assistance prosecutors on staff.
Hartig Brought Receipts
A transcript was provided in its entirety to prove Oakland Prosecutors’ bad behavior, a win for public accountability, but something that should have been done as soon as it happened.
The Defense Attorneys rightfully called Assistant Prosecutor Hall’s behavior unprofessional, describing how Hall claimed on the phone cases were delayed for something entirely unrelated to COVID but saying otherwise in a motion. Instead, Jeff Hall chose to be a despicable and unfair human being, threatening to refile cases, which would have caused defendants to lose all of their jail credit, denied their freedom while he got his act together.
This is a great example of why Prosecutorial Discretion needs to be scaled back.
Dismissing those cases may be the most fair thing I have ever seen a Judge do to knock a high and mighty prosecutor down, and I don’t even like Hartig.
Oakland County is an utter mess across the Prosecutor’s office, and courthouse to include Judges Kwame Rowe, Travis Reeds, and Lisa Asadoorian.
Thankfully, the Attorney Grievance Commission cautioned both Karen McDonald and Jeff Hall for their actions, an image worth republishing and disseminating if it helps prevent Karen from winning the AG’s seat.
In fact, if anyone would like to send me more documentation on Karen McDonald’s misconduct, I will absolutely publish it. Email me here!
Pulling it Together
A broken clock is right twice a day. Just because Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office is shamefully unethical, it does not absolve Hartig of her other issues.
For example, when a judge flagged as unsafe by professionals tries to deflect blame by saying the professionals can’t be trusted — and then tries to run the clock out with procedural games — it shows how deep the rot goes.
The public deserves to know that while she sat in judgment over other people’s lives, her own ability to do the job safely was in question — and she knew it.
And without Clutch catching that botched redaction, the public might never have seen the truth at all.
What Happens Next
Judge Hartig and her legal counsel are clearly living on another planet with their claims first, that judges are apparently too special for normal rehab. Clearly, they were throwing things at the wall and hoping something stuck.
The one thing that actually could have helped them, was the fact that Judicial Tenure Commission staff was so incompetent in their publishing that they could not properly redact a document. The JTC releasing the unreacted document damaged what little ability she had to actually defend herself in this case.
How can anyone trust a Commission that cannot properly redact a document to properly investigate a case? Further more, they had the report that found Judge Hartig back in June 2024, and never opened it, nor did they do anything with it.
…That’s the exceptionally low-hanging fruit that these expensive attorneys missed.
With clutch proven right on multiple fronts and it now being on official court record, I will continue to watch and wait for the little details that everyone else seems to miss.
…Including vastly overpriced attorneys.
And now the show begins. With the formal misconduct complaint being active and the stall tactic denied, we wait for the full disciplinary hearing.
Clutch will be watching. With popcorn.
