Kathleen Ryan Retired

Audio recordings of Oakland County Probate Judge Kathleen Ryan, made secretly over several years by the court's own administrator, captured her using racist language about Black people and homophobic insults directed at local public officials — at one point referring to herself as "a new racist." The administrator, Edward Hutton, released the recordings to public officials and to WXYZ Detroit in September 2024, saying he had been recording her for years. Ryan was removed from hearing cases that August. The probate court's chief judge separately filed a complaint against Ryan with Michigan's Judicial Tenure Commission. Rather than face a Judicial Tenure Commission ruling on the merits, Ryan's exit from the bench came through a negotiated "voluntary" retirement agreement after roughly 15 months on paid leave — not a completed disciplinary order finding her responsible for anything.