Judge accused of sexually harassing colleagues, showing up at courthouse after drinking alcohol

"Judge Thomas D. Wilson of Jackson County is also accused of showing up at the courthouse after drinking alcohol; interfering in cases, including a case involving himself; failing to disclose conflicts of interest; and delaying decisions. Law360, Bloomberg Law, CBS News and Click on Detroit have coverage of the Sept. 11 ethics complaint filed by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. Wilson, who has been a judge since January 2007, abused alcohol starting between 2013 and 2015 and extending to 2020 or 2021, according to the complaint."

"The case involving Wilson was his personal divorce. After a judge disqualified herself from the case, a draft order stated that Wilson owed a balance of $2,030 in child support. Wilson allegedly approached the judge who disqualified herself and asked her to sign an edited version of her transfer order with a zero child-support balance."

Michigan judge Thomas D. Wilson of Jackson County is accused of sexually harassing female colleagues by describing his sexual activities and expressing a longtime desire for sex with a fellow judge. The complaint alleges he showed up at the courthouse after drinking, sometimes leaving to consume alcohol at home and then returning, and was observed smelling of alcohol or appearing disheveled. The complaint says he was asked to take an alcohol assessment in 2019 but did not. It alleges interference in cases, including his personal divorce where he sought to alter a transfer order to eliminate a child-support balance. The complaint also alleges undisclosed conflicts of interest involving attorneys with financial ties and delays in issuing decisions. The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission filed the Sept. 11 ethics complaint.

Read at ABA Journal