After years of passing judgement on others, a Jackson County judge has landed in a precarious position: He’s being accused of sexually harassing women, showing up drunk at the courthouse and using his clout as a jurist to influence cases involving himself and his family, according to a new complaint filed with the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission.That’s the organization that investigates allegations of wrongdoing by judges, and decides how to punish those who cross ethical or professional lines.
In this case, the commission on Thursday, Sept. 11, disclosed numerous allegations of wrongdoing against Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Wilson, who has practiced law for more than three decades. His behavior while serving on the bench for 18 years is what’s being scrutinized, including getting lawyers to represent him and his children for free in various legal matters.
As of late Thursday afternoon, neither Wilson nor his staff returned calls for comment, though his lawyer defended his reputation in a statement to the Free Press.
“Judge Wilson is a respected and trusted jurist in Jackson County,” prominent attorney Thomas Cranmer said in the statement. “It is not appropriate to try this case in the media, but we look forward to clearing his name as we move forward with the process.”
Wilson has 14 days to file a response to the complaint, though he can ask for an extentsion.
The allegations against him were detailed in a 23-page complaint, and include the following:
Judge Wilson now has to respond to the complaint. After that, the JTC will determine whether any discipline is warranted.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that Judge Wilson “improperly injected himself” into cases, and once used his clout to help a defendant in a domestic violence case avoid getting arrested. The defendant in that case had violated a no-contact order. For reasons unclear, Judge Wilson called 911 without telling either the defense or the prosecution, and told the 911 operator that he had instructed the defendant to go to the prohibited location at issue to pick up his medication, and that there was no need to arrest him, and that he had the situation “all taken care of.”
Judge Wilson also is accused of trying to get a judge to sign off on a forged document that made it look like he owed no child support following his divorce, when he really owed a balance of $2,030. The judge did not sign off on the order.
He also allegedly used his clout as a judge to try and get a relative’s “minor in possession” charges dropped — or at least heard by a judge in the same county he worked in. When his efforts failed, he allegedly retaliated against people who would not do as he wished, telling them he would remember this.
Judge Wilson also is accused of dragging his feet with personal protection orders, and allegedly failed on at least three ocassions to timely decide PPOs that were assigned to him.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: JTC: Jackson Co. judge sexually harassed women, came to court drunk, abused his power
Reporting by Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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