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Kirsten Nielsen Hartig (Oakland County).
A Michigan justice with an alleged past of mistreating unit and upsetting prosecutors has been barred from proceeding felony cases and tin lone oversee tiny claims and landlord-tenant cases.
According to an bid obtained by Law&Crime, 52nd District Court Chief Judge Travis M Reeds stripped Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig of the quality to oversee transgression matters.
“All General Civil, Landlord Tenant, and Small Claims actions filed successful the [district] volition beryllium assigned to Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig,” the bid says.
Meanwhile, each “criminal and civilian infraction ordinance violations,” arsenic good arsenic “all felony cases” volition beryllium assigned to different judge, the bid said. The bid takes effect connected May 27.
The bid does not springiness a crushed for the enactment successful the tribunal that handles cases successful the Detroit suburbs of Troy and Clawson but Hartig has a past of misconduct allegations, according to section reports.
“The bid was issued to guarantee fairness successful the courtroom,” Oakland County spokesperson Bill Mullan told The Detroit News.
The Detroit Free Press reported Hartig’s rulings successful 2022 sparked Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald to entreaty to a higher court. McDonald claimed Hartig dismissed cases against a trio of alleged equipped robbers arsenic retribution for a scheduling conflict. The entreaty alleged Hartig “has a long-standing signifier of seeking to enforce her ain idiosyncratic presumption of what the instrumentality should beryllium via the transgression cases earlier her,” McDonald wrote, according to the Free Press.
McDonald besides noted that Hartig’s decisions were repeatedly overturned connected appeal.
Hartig successful a connection to the Free Press astatine the clip chalked up McDonald’s beef to predetermination twelvemonth authorities and said she lone dismissed the lawsuit due to the fact that the authoritative refused to amusement up to a tribunal proceeding successful person, contempt knowing that’s what the justice expected.
“They didn’t bash their occupation and present they’d similar to blasted the justice for enforcing the law,” Hartig said successful a connection astatine the time, according to the Free Press. “That’s nary surprise, and neither is the effort by governmental opponents to heap on.”
Also successful 2022, a erstwhile tribunal head sued the county, alleging that Hartig created a hostile enactment situation and that the head was fired for complaining astir it, the Detroit News reported. While Hartig was not personally named successful the lawsuit, the head alleged aft she returned from aesculapian permission the justice made it wide that she had to study to her regular “unless you’re unconscious.”
Hartig besides made the head basal up successful beforehand of a courtroom afloat of radical wherever she accused her of mismanaging assistance funding, the suit said. The Free Press reported the tribunal head settled for $100,000 successful 2023.
According to Hartig’s biography, she was elected to the territory tribunal seat successful 2010. It says she “currently presides” implicit the district’s Recovery Treatment Court.
“Together with a squad of tribunal and nonrecreational volunteers, Judge Hartig works diligently to supply therapeutic and just interventions for those individuals whose underlying origin of engagement with the transgression justness strategy is owed to a substance maltreatment disorder,” the bio reads.
She worked arsenic an adjunct authoritative and defence lawyer earlier being elected to the bench.
Hartig did not instantly instrumentality a petition for comment.
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