Some people really struggle with distinguishing between individual and systemic responsibility when both are at play. For example, as important as it is to make sure that individual drivers obey speed limits and pay attention to the road and that pedestrians look both ways before they cross the street, intersections are a structural factor that can amplify harms depending on how they’re planned and built. Judges ought to be aware of all sorts of individual and systemic factors that influence law breaking. A failure to understand one of those factors, race, got Oakland County judge Kathleen Ryan in hot water last September. A secret recording caught her going off about not being a structural racist but a new racist, spurred on by things like #BlackLivesMatter. For the record, if you were pissed off about Black people complaining about being killed extrajudicially, there’s nothing new about your racism — I’m sure The Red Record would have annoyed you too were you around for it. Since we last covered Judge Ryan, she’s decided to retire. WXYZ has coverage:
A controversial Oakland County probate judge who was accused of making racist and homophobic comments will not be back on the bench….Judge Ryan has essentially been on paid leave for 15 months, but her lawyers tell the 7 Investigators she is now voluntarily retiring.
There’s a special irony in a judge who accused Black Americans of needing to step up, do their jobs, and not be lazy asses getting paid for a year and some change for doing absolutely nothing. The real grift is in saying racist shit and getting paid for it. Between her and GoFundMes for people who get caught yelling slurs, being an ethical and impartial judge just leaves too much money on the table. Maybe Clarence Thomas is onto something.
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Now that the judge of 13 years is off the bench, her seat will be open to a jurist who, hopefully, is not a racist or one of its limited edition flankers. Fairness and impartiality are the hallmarks of good judges — it is a shame that Ryan was able to sneak through whatever fail-safes were put up to filter out bigoted people from donning the robes.
Oakland County Judge Who Called Herself A ‘New Racist’ Vacates Position After WXYZ Investigation [WXYZ]
Earlier: ‘New Racist’ Judge Kicked Off Bench For Racist Remarks About Black Americans
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Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.