Clutch Justice Weekly · Issue 027
James Galen Jr., the brother of 38th District Court Judge Kathleen Galen, and co-plaintiff Cindy Jakubiszen sued her election opponent Richard Goodman over where he lives, months after Michigan’s own election officials had already rejected the same residency challenge in writing. They sued the wrong people in the wrong court, were warned in writing that the case was defective, and kept litigating for three more months anyway. Two judges and two dismissals later, neither court ever ruled on the one question the lawsuit claimed to be about.
Lead Investigation: A residency lawsuit that never reached the residency question
The challenge to Goodman’s eligibility had already failed once, when election officials reviewed it and rejected it in writing. Galen’s brother and Jakubiszen filed anyway, in a venue and against defendants that could not resolve the claim they were making. They were told this in writing partway through, and kept fighting for three more months regardless.
The case ended in two separate dismissals, in two different courts, without either court reaching the substance of where Goodman actually lives. The full piece walks through both dismissals, the venue and defendant-selection failures that doomed the case from the start, and the surveillance affidavit at the center of it, which tells a far narrower story than what plaintiffs’ attorney described in court.
Read the full record review ?Institutional Integrity Index™: The Residency Challenge, Scored
| Venue and Defendant Selection | F |
| Response to Written Warning | F |
| Surveillance Evidence | D |
| Residency Question | Unresolved |
The grade rests on what the litigation actually accomplished, not on whether Goodman’s residency is or isn’t in question. Plaintiffs sued in the wrong venue, against the wrong parties, were warned in writing that the case couldn’t reach its own central claim, and pressed forward anyway for three more months. That’s an editorial judgment about how the challenge was litigated, not a finding about where Goodman lives.
Five Minutes in the File™: Two Versions of “Surveillance”
In court, Goodman’s attorney said plaintiffs had him “under surveillance for the last five months.” The private investigator’s own affidavit tells a narrower story: nine days in April, three drive-by visits, and zero coverage of the thirty-day window that actually determines residency under Michigan law.
See what the affidavit actually says ?Related Investigations
The Wine Bar Clause: Judge Kathleen Galen’s Confidential JTC Admonition, the Magistrate Who Represented Her, and a Campaign on Waiver
Her campaign committee has operated under a reporting waiver since 2020. The people named on its own filing now work inside her courtroom.
Off the Record: Three More Rulings From Judge Kathleen Galen’s Courtroom Show the Same Defect
A vacated sentence, an unrecorded $505, and an attorney who said he felt physically intimidated by his own client. What the record was supposed to show and what it actually shows keep not matching.
Clutch Confidential: Members get more than access. They get a say.
Reporting like this week’s Eastpointe piece runs on readers, not the agencies and campaigns it covers. For $10 a month, Clutch Confidential members vote on what Clutch Justice investigates next, get early access before anyone else, join monthly member chats, and get the entire Field Kit and course library free, no separate purchase required.
Join Clutch Confidential, $10/month ?Detective Club
Week nine of the Clutch Blanket Mystery CAL just dropped, a new square, a new chapter of The Harlow County File, and the file is only getting harder to read from here. Nine weeks in, eleven Saturdays to go, still free, still beginner friendly.
Join Detective Club ?Have documents, footage, or firsthand knowledge related to this case? Contact Clutch Justice directly. Every tip is reviewed and sources are protected.
Continue Your Investigation
Use The Lab, free tools, databases, explainers, and interactive resources.
Explore the Field Kit, paid guides, templates, and research tools from Clutch Justice investigative methodology.
Get Future Investigations, download the free evidence checklist and join the Clutch Justice newsletter.
Support the Work, help fund independent investigative journalism and public accountability reporting.
