Detroit judge punished for handcuffing sleeping teenager on school trip

A Detroit judge will undergo “necessary training” and has had his criminal record temporarily expunged after he ordered a teenager on a school trip to wear prison garb and threatened her with jail for sleeping in his courtroom. As more details about the girl’s situation emerged, the court’s presiding judge confirmed Thursday that Judge Kenneth King of the 36th District is no longer in office for the time being. Eva Goodman, 15, fell asleep during a visit to the court organized by the nonprofit The Greening Project to learn about the court system and observe it in real time. According to the Detroit Free PressKing discovered Goodman sleeping twice before taking her into custody. The teenager was ordered to put on a green prison jumpsuit, then handcuffed and King reprimanded her for her behavior in his courtroom. She was eventually allowed to leave. Goodman’s mother, Latoreya Till, is angry and told the Detroit Free Press that her daughter was “hurt” and “scared,” adding that the family currently has no permanent home. Till described King as a “big bully.” William McConico, the presiding judge of the 36th District Court, told the Associated Press that King would now “undergo the necessary training to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident.” McConico added that the court “remains firmly committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect. Judge King’s conduct on August 13 does not reflect that commitment.” King will continue to receive pay. No further details were disclosed. King defended his actions to WXYZ-TV, which posted video of the courtroom incident: “I wanted to get through to her, show her how serious this is and how to conduct yourself in a courtroom.”