A Detroit judge has reportedly been temporarily removed from office after handcuffing a young girl and forcing her to wear a prison uniform during a recent field trip. The girl’s mother has also spoken out.
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Court reacts to incident between Judge King and teenager
As TSR previously reported, the field trip to the legal system ended with a 15-year-old girl handcuffed and wearing a prison uniform.
The incident occurred when Judge Kenneth King Insisted on making the young woman wear a prison uniform and made her sit in a holding cell after she fell asleep in the courtroom.
However, Judge King insisted it was her “attitude,” not just her sleeping, that made him want her to have the real experience.
“I think she probably needs to go to juvenile detention,” Judge King said. “Why are you disrespecting this court? You sleep in your bed at home, not in court.”
As a result, the chief judge of the 36th District Court in Detroit has temporarily suspended Judge Kenneth King.
According to WXYZ, Chief Justice William McConico announced an internal investigation and said Judge King would receive training to address the issues that led to his actions.
“We hope that these steps will help reassure the public of the 36th District Court’s dedication to serving our community with integrity and fairness. The 36th District Court, known as the ‘people’s court,’ remains deeply committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect. Judge King’s actions on August 13 do not reflect this commitment,” McConico said in a statement.
Here’s What Happened Between The Judge King and Teen
Detroit News Judge King faced criticism after a livestream showed him reprimanding a 15-year-old boy for falling asleep in the courtroom.
The young woman came to his courtroom as part of a trip organized by Greening of Detroit.
In a conversation with 7 Detroit NewsJudge Kenneth King explained that it was the girl’s reaction to his warning, not her falling asleep, that upset him.
Before the trial began, Judge King noticed the girl dozing off and warned her that he would “put her in the back seat” if she fell asleep again. The Detroit judge later said the teen had “an attitude” toward him.
“It wasn’t really that she fell asleep because I have attorneys who sometimes fall asleep, so it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was her demeanor and her personality that bothered me,” the Detroit judge said. “I wanted to convince her, show her how serious this is and how you have to conduct yourself in the courtroom.”
Young girl’s mother reacts to judge’s actions
The viral incident between Judge King and the teenage girl also prompted her mother to speak out.
On Wednesday, August 14, WXYZ spoke with Latoreya Hill, the girl’s mother, about Judge King’s disciplinary action.
“Would you want someone to treat your child like that? Would you even treat your child like that,” Latorya said.
The media revealed that the young girl’s name was Eva GoodmanHer mother, a single mother of two, enrolled Eva in a summer program with the nonprofit Greening Detroit to keep her busy.
Latoreya Hill cried as she told WXYZ that her daughter fell asleep because her family had no permanent residence and was struggling to make ends meet.
“To put her down in front of the world and her friends, to make her feel worse about our situation. The fact that he was talking about ‘you go home and get into bed,’ how do you know my child has a home? how do you know my child has a bed, his own bed that he can sleep in, he doesn’t have one right now, so he’s exhausted,” Hill said through tears.
Despite the backlash, Judge King stood by his decision to discipline Eva Goodman after she fell asleep, claiming his intention was to give her his own version of “frank fear.”
“Do I have any qualms? Do I think I was too heavy-handed in what I did? No, I don’t think so, because I would do whatever it took to get to these kids and make sure they didn’t have to deal with me. That’s my own version of fear, frankly,” Judge King explained.
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