Michigan Judge on Administrative Leave Over Travel Expenditures
Sylvia James, chief judge of Michigan’s 22nd District Court, was placed on paid administrative leave yesterday after a community service fund with thousands expended on travel was discovered.
The Michigan Supreme Court ordered a deeper investigation into the situation, which was revealed in a state Court Administrative Office audit of court finances last month, the Detroit Free Press reports.
According to the audit, the court has shoddy bookkeeping, and questions were raised about whether it was paying or withholding taxes for employees who receive stipends.
Also, according to the article, over two years the 22nd District Court spent more than $12,000 on travel to drug court conferences but does not have a drug court program.
“The Supreme Court obviously found that there was enough, based on the audit, the items in the community service account and Judge James’ response to warrant further investigation,” said Marcia McBrien, Michigan Supreme Court spokeswoman. “In a situation like this, it is conventional to place the person concerned on administrative leave while the investigation is pending.”
