The Docket — Issue 12

The Last Day of the Quarter

Week of June 24, 2025 • Difficulty: Expert

The Scenario

Four complaints landed on the JTC's desk in the final days of the quarter — each from a different county, each alleging a different type of misconduct. Two judges received the same severity of outcome; two did not. The clues are tighter than usual. Solve it before the quarter closes. All judges and cases in this puzzle are fictional.

Clues

1. Judge Okonkwo is not from Cheboygan County or Leelanau County.
2. The judge from Chippewa County was recommended for removal.
3. Judge Feldman was investigated for false statements to the JTC.
4. The judge investigated for selective bond-setting is from Leelanau County.
5. Judge Okonkwo received a public censure.
6. Judge Svensson presided in Cheboygan County.
7. The judge investigated for false statements to the JTC received a dismissed outcome.
8. Judge Castellano is from Chippewa County.
9. The judge from Cheboygan County was investigated for intemperate conduct.
10. Judge Okonkwo was investigated for improper sentence impositions.

Your Grid

Solution

• Okonkwo — Leelanau County — Improper sentence impositions — Public censure
• Feldman — Midland County — False statements to the JTC — Dismissed
• Svensson — Cheboygan County — Intemperate conduct — Consent agreement
• Castellano — Chippewa County — Selective bond-setting — Removal (recommended)

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From the editor

The patterns in these puzzles are fictional. The ones in Michigan's courts aren't. Rita maps those for a living.