Michigan Justice Under Fire

Diane Hathaway, a Michigan Supreme Court justice, is in the hot seat after a report detailing Hathaway's questionable financial transactions was released. The report was issued by Ross Jones of ABC affiliate WXYZ and is drawing a lot of attention to Hathaway's possible misconduct:

"[R]ecords show in a little over a year, [Justice Hathaway] owned four homes: one in Florida, and three in Grosse Pointe Park.

"The homes are a part of a dizzying property shuffle that experts say raise ethical and legal questions, but Justice Hathaway has been ducking those questions for more than six weeks. . . .

"[Lawyer] Howard Young says when his clients have asked about moving assets out of their names to qualify for a short sale, he’s told them to be cautious.

“'Those are typically fraudulent transfers, because they are done with the intent to delay, hinder, or defraud creditors,' said Young. . . .

"Judges are held to a high standard of conduct in Michigan, and according to the state judicial code, they need to avoid even the 'appearance of impropriety.' "

Justice Hathaway has yet to publicly respond to the allegations. Ironically, Hathaway was presented with the "Judicial Integrity Award" by Michigan Association for Justice, just days before the allegations came out.