Brittany Johnson has been appointed as the newest judge in the 23rd District Court. The former assistant prosecutor for Wayne County was named to the Taylor bench to fill a vacancy created when former Judge Joseph Slaven resigned while under two different investigations for questionable conduct.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Johnson and the Michigan Supreme Court confirmed the appointment. Whitmer was quoted as saying:
“… I am proud to appoint Brittany Johnson to the bench. As a skilled legal professional, Brittany brings years of experience to her new role. I am confident she will serve the people of Michigan admirably and uphold the rule of law.”
The appointment fills Slaven’s current term, which expires on January 1, 2027.
Judge Johnson becomes only the sixth person overall (and the second woman) to serve on the Taylor court. That list of judges included Anthony Nicita, the late William Sutherland, Geno Salomone, Slaven and current Chief Judge Victoria Shackelford.
A resident of Taylor, Judge Johnson has been serving as an assistant prosecuting attorney with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office since 2019. She was previously a law clerk in Dearborn and a legislative extern for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.
She also serves as a board member at the Government Bar Association.
She holds a law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law, along with a Master of Social Work from MSU and a Bachelor of Science in psychology and criminal justice from Grand Valley State University.
Slaven resigned under fire earlier.
The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission issued a complaint against him for various actions he allegedly committed. The complaint said that he used his position on the bench to support another judicial candidate, an allegation that also drew an investigation by the City of Taylor’s Board of Ethics.
The Board of Ethics investigation paused once the tenure commission’s investigation took over.
Overall, the judicial misconduct investigation of his Slaven included:
- Using his position to support another judicial candidate
- Publicly berating Chief Judge Shackelford
- Raising a middle finger to make an obscene gesture at a courthouse camera on several occasions
- Recording conversations with the chief judge without telling her
- Refusing to wear his judicial robe after being told it was required
- Concealing his face during Zoom hearings after he was told that it violates court rules
- And driving with an expired and illegible license plate.
Slaven wrote in response to the tenure commission that some of his actions were only done to show that the chief judge and court administrator were spying on him. But then he opted to resign days before a tenure commission hearing. As a result, the hearing officer assumed the allegations against him were valid.
The JTC recommended that Slaven be banned from holding any judicial office for six years because of his discretions, a ruling that must pass Michigan Supreme Court approval.