A Detroit judge who briefly detained a teenage girl who fell asleep in the courtroom during a school field trip to learn about the justice system has been demoted to presiding judge in traffic court as she faces a federal lawsuit.
Judge Kenneth King was transferred to the state court’s traffic division after the Aug. 13 incident. King was temporarily removed from the bench as he completed mandatory training following his actions.
“We appreciate his efforts in preparing for this role and wish him every success as he transitions to this new responsibility,” Chief Judge William McConnico said in a statement.
Martin Luther King Jr. accused Eva Goodman, 15, and her mother of having Goodman dressed in prison clothes, handcuffed, and placed in a segregated holding cell during King’s educational trip to court. He is facing a federal lawsuit filed by LaTreya Till.
As the group watched Dr. King conduct a murder hearing, the complaint says Goodman relived the traumatic event and the girl shut down and fell asleep. .
The hearing and Goodman’s reprimand for falling asleep were livestreamed by King on the court’s YouTube channel. The video was eventually removed from the platform.
At a news conference in August, Till said her family faced housing instability and Goodman stayed late into the night before a field trip. The family had no idea she would be going on such a trip, nor did they know that Ms. Goodman had never been to court before.
“I just want Judge King to be held accountable for humiliating my daughter,” Till said at the time. “He feels like he owes her a public apology. Not only that, but he owes her more than just a public apology.”
In the lawsuit, Goodman’s lawyers claim that King violated her civil rights and exceeded his authority.
“Common sense and facts suggest that an adult man was wrongly judged to be a delinquent who was actually a frail teenager who was forced to carefully confront his past trauma during actual pre-court proceedings, and ”indicates that he was upset by the girl, who he had mistakenly assumed was a girl who had previously been shut down during class,” the lawsuit states.
King told the Detroit Free Press in August that he had not acted inappropriately and was trying to teach Goodman about the importance of the courtroom.
