Detroit Judge Elected in November Will Not Sit on Bench Until 2029

Kahlilia Davis was elected to a seat on Detroit's 36th District Court in the November 2026 general election. Voters selected her from a field of four candidates. She will not take the bench until 2029 because of a suspension order that has been in effect since 2023.

The Michigan Supreme Court issued the suspension in 2023. The court found that Davis abused her judicial power and interfered with the work of a process server. It also found that she lied under oath. In 2020, the court had previously suspended her for failing to keep video records of court cases, which violated Michigan court rules.

Davis ran against three other candidates for the open seat. Jo Irby was among the finalists. Irby finished in the group of three who advanced to the general election but lost the final vote. She did not run a negative campaign against Davis.

Irby said the state's highest court did not clearly state that a suspended judge could not run for office. She compared the situation to a doctor who is not yet licensed but can apply for the job. "Why would you say that if you were to run and win, you can't sit? That's almost equivalent to saying you're not a doctor yet until 2029, but you can apply for a job as a doctor right now," Irby said.

Irby said she ran on her own merits and did not advertise against Davis. She noted that voters could have researched the candidates' backgrounds. "If individuals, if the voters would had just searched our names as judges, it would have popped up," Irby said. She added that people did not perform that search.

Davis will serve her suspension through 2029. She will hold the elected position during that time but will not hear cases. The court seat will remain occupied by the judge-elect until the suspension period ends.