The Detroit judge who got slammed after having a Black teenager cuffed and placed into a jail uniform for dozing off in his courtroom just received more bad news after coming back from suspension.
As a reminder, Judge Kenneth King was caught on courtroom Zoom scolding 15-year-old Eva Goodman who was visiting court as part of a field trip this past August. King told local Detroit news he pressed the teen after noticing her fall asleep in the courtroom. However, his form of punishment went beyond rebuke but resulted in ordering her to don a jail uniform, having her placed in handcuffs and threatening to send her to juvenile detention, per the now-deleted court recording.
Following the incident, the judge faced his own punishment of temporary suspension and a mandatory social and emotional training class, per The AP. However, upon his recent return back to the courtroom, King was met with more discipline: demotion.
Chief Judge William McConico of the 36th District Court stated King is back on the bench but instead of presiding over major crime or felony cases, he will be handling traffic tickets.
Not only did King get demoted but he was also let go from his two Fall 2024 courses at Wayne State University amidst the scandal. He’s also facing a lawsuit filed by the girl’s mother, Latoreya Till. The mother previously told The Detroit Free Press her daughter was exhausted from work and the constant moving because they struggled to find permanent housing.
The lawsuit seeks over $75,000 from the judge for “ridiculing” and “berating” Goodman both in front of her peers and while live-streaming from his private Facebook page. Till also said in a press conference she seeks a public apology from the judge. That has yet to happen but for now, the report says King is being a good sport about his new job transition.
“He truly understands and wholeheartedly embraces the concept of teamwork,” said King’s attorney, Todd Perkins via The AP.