It appears Detroit Judge Kenneth King, who was temporarily removed from the bench after placing a teenage girl in handcuffs during a field trip, is back on duty. Still, on a lower court, assigned to speeding tickets and other minor offenses, Associated Press reports.
King was ordered to take social-emotional training by the chief judge of the 36th District Court, Chief Judge William McConico, and as a result, was assigned to the court’s traffic division in late September 2024. In a statement, King’s attorney, Todd Perkins, said the judge is willing to work anywhere at the court and “understands and wholeheartedly embraces the concept of teamwork.”
In August 2024, King was reprimanded for singling out 15-year-old Eva Goodman, who fell asleep in the courtroom during a field trip. King labeled the minor as having a bad attitude while she was visiting his courtroom with other teens and placed her in jail clothes and handcuffs. The judge described the incident as a lesson. “It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me,” King said.
“That’s not something that normally happens. But I felt compelled to do it because I didn’t like the child’s attitude. I haven’t been disrespected like that in a very long time.”
It was later revealed the teen and her mother, Latoreya Till, were between homes and staying up late, which caused her sleepiness. At the time, McConico said King’s training would help him “address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident.” Under his new assignment, the chief judge thanked King for “his efforts in preparing for this role” and wished him success “as he transitions into this new responsibility.”
According to the Detroit Free Press, King sat before one of the most high-profile criminal case schedules in the Motor City. He sat behind the bench on cases such as the one against Michael Jackson-Bolanos, the man accused by prosecutors of killing well-known Jewish leader Samantha Woll. Jackson-Bolanos was eventually found not guilty of murder following King sending the case to the 3rd Circuit Court for trial.
Now presiding over the traffic division with smaller cases, King will oversee common issues, including speeding, making an illegal turn, and driving without insurance. His caseload will also handle city ordinance violations—but not those that necessarily break state law.
To get back on the bench, King completed a course called “Conscious Discipline,” conducted by longtime educator Tanyelle Hannah. The course is designed to assist teachers, administrators, mental health professionals, and parents find resources to navigate their own emotions while helping children or others under their care succeed. The company’s website described it as an “effective approach” that is “proven to increase self-regulation, sense of safety, connection, empathy, and intrinsic motivation in both children and adults.”
Regardless of the lesser caseload, King will still need to deal with the incident that resulted in his demotion. Goodman’s family filed a $75,000 lawsuit against King for pain and suffering, medical expenses, and attorney and expert witness fees.
