In 2022, Judge Alexis G. Krot screamed at a cancer patient over not being able to keep up his yard. The Judicial Tenure Commission did nothing about it, but anonymously featured her in the 2023 Annual Report.
Federal agents are investigating Detroit’s 36th District Judge Andrea Bradley‑Baskin and her father, attorney Avery Bradley, over allegations of bribery, wire fraud, and financial misconduct linked to court‑appointed guardianships of vulnerable adults.
In recent months, the FBI has seized more than $580,000 from properties and accounts connected to their guardianship firms, with clients reportedly barred from accessing needed care after their assets were frozen.
Although no formal charges have been filed and the investigation remains sealed, officials are reviewing records dating back to 2016, and community members have criticized the secrecy and potential breach of trust in the justice system.
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Took a loaded handgun in carry-on bag into an airport. No one would have been let off the way the judge was, even with a "squeaky clean" record.
Report appears in anonymized 2024 Judicial Tenure Commission Report:
"A judge self-reported the discovery by TSA of a loaded, unregistered handgun in
their bag at an airport. The judge immediately acknowledged to TSA personnel that they
had the handgun and admitted their mistake in carrying a loaded handgun into the
airport.
The judge was licensed to carry a gun. The judge received the gun from a friend.
The judge initially told police that the handgun was registered but retracted that after
learning that the handgun was not registered because the state the friend lived in did
not require registration.
The judge explained to the Commission that they routinely carry a handgun out
of fear for their personal safety. The night before they went to the airport on this occasion
was hectic and stressful for personal reasons, causing the judge to forget to remove the
handgun from their bag before going to the airport.
The judge pled no contest to the misdemeanor of carrying a gun into an airport
and paid a civil penalty as well.
The Commission found that the judge violated Canon 2(B) by failing to observe
the law. In addition, their conduct eroded public confidence in the judiciary because their
arrest was widely reported. Finally, they violated MCR 9.l04(5) by their plea to violation
of a criminal ordinance.
The Commission took into account the judge’s clean discipline record and
Commission precedent in similar situations. On those bases, the Commission dismissed
with an admonition to take all necessary precautions before future travel to the airport
to ensure they have no handgun with them, and to ensure the veracity of any future
statements to the police."
A recent Judicial Tenure Commission complaint accuses Slaven of misdeeds, including:
Calling the chief judge “Shackel-fool” from the bench and seemingly mocking her after she told him to make his face visible during Zoom hearings, where it had been obscured.
He subsequently obscured his face with flowers and a Bible during a session, called her a “control freak” and referred to “clueless” people, the complaint said. Slaven told the commission he simply repeated what an attorney said when he made the first comment and was not referring to the chief judge with the latter comments. The commission qualified those defenses as making false statements.
Promoting the candidacy of Tinney by randomly discussing him and displaying slideshows with his picture while on the bench. He’s also said to have printed 160 copies of Tinney campaign materials and voter precinct maps using court resources.
Recording conversations with Shackelford in 2021 and 2022 and lying about it when she directly asked him if he was recording during one.
Directly disobeying orders from her to not copy court staff on emails with concerns on court policies, then copying them on an email saying her misunderstanding of court rules might be due to a lack of reading comprehension.
Repeatedly failing to follow court rules to wear his black robe, even when prompted by multiple chief judges and a state court administrator. Sometimes he placed it in his lap.
Calling court staff incompetent and threatening contempt.
Driving with expired registration and an illegible license plate.
Made racist comments about a person's immigration status at a sentencing hearing.
The complaint was anonymized in the 2022 Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission Report: http://cms4files.revize.com/mjtc/annual_report/docs/2022%20Annual%20Report.pdf
"...made comments about a defendant’s ethnic heritage during sentencing in a criminal
case.
The judge said the defendant was “a discredit to every immigrant who comes to this country,”and that it was “people like” the defendant who have created political problems in our country. The Commission concluded that in context the judge’s comments did not denigrate any race or ethnicity and it was not their intent to do so. Rather, the judge’s words were meant communicate to the
defendant that their actions harmed many people other than the immediate victim.
In a letter of explanation the Commission stated that comments about a defendant’s race or heritage are often inflammatory and often violate Canon 3(A)(14), which requires a judge to treat every person with courtesy and respect. In that regard, the Commission explained that the judge’s focus on the defendant and “people like” them as the problem, rather than focusing on the defendant’s actions, is often seen as disrespectful to the defendant as a person. The Commission further noted that
the judge’s references to the political impact of the defendant’s actions tended to make it appear that the judge might have been swayed by partisan interests or public clamor in violation of Canon 3(A)(1), and might call into question the judge’s impartiality, contrary to Canon 2(B)."
He also had a more public complaint against him closed by the JTC in 2024, where he allegedly withheld evidence on a case he was on while acting as an assistant attorney general.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2024/08/29/michigan-supreme-court-dismisses-misconduct-claim-on-wayne-co-judge/74994892007/
September 2024 - Yelled at a teenager who fell asleep during a field trip and threw her into jail. Before that, engaged in inappropriate commentary with his Youtube Livestream and violated the civil rights of defendants in his court room. Read more here.
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