All 110 state representative seats in Michigan will be on the ballot this November, with Democrats hoping to hang on to the party’s two-seat majority in the House.

WDET is committed to bringing you accurate, up-to-date election results from each state representative race in Wayne County. Results from uncontested races are not included.

Be sure to bookmark this page or tune in to WDET 101.9 FM for live updates on election results. Last updated at 4 p.m. Nov. 6.

Michigan State House - District 3

Precincts reporting: 37 of 37 (100%)

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Voters in Wayne County have several countywide leadership positions on the ballot, along with two education-related millage proposals. 

WDET is committed to bringing you accurate, up-to-date election results for the metro Detroit area. Results from uncontested races are not included.

Be sure to bookmark this page or tune in to WDET 101.9 FM for live updates on election results. Last updated at 2:03 p.m. Nov. 6.

• County elections
• Local school district elections
• Local ballot proposals
• Judicial races

County races

Wayne County Clerk

Precincts reporting: 912 of 912 (100%)

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Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Outlier Media. Sign up for their free weekly newsletters at outliermedia.org/newsletters.

When 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King made headlines recently for having a teen on a field trip handcuffed for sleeping in his courtroom, it was a reminder to pay close attention to the people we elect to wear those black robes. 

Judges don’t just decide how many years someone will spend in prison; they also rule on important matters like traffic violations and who gets custody of children in a divorce.

“Judges have a significant influence over the cases that directly affect Detroiters’ everyday life,” said Ceclia Zavala, co-executive director for Nation Outside, a Michigan advocacy organization led by people affected by the criminal legal system. “Voting for judges can help ensure that Detroiters have a say in who holds this crucial power.”

Even though voting for local judges is important, it can be harder to find information about judicial candidates than other races. Some candidates’ survey responses are posted on websites like Vote 411 or Ballotpedia. The Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association also rates candidates.

Tracy Cooley, executive director of the Detroit Bar Association, recommends voters check out candidates’ websites, look them up on LinkedIn, search for their written work, and check the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission site for complaints and disciplinary action rulings.

For the 2024 general election, Detroiters will see several judicial races on the ballot, including for state Supreme Court. Only three local judicial contests are competitive. We’ve included details about each one below.

Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court candidates

The 3rd Circuit Court, the largest circuit court in the state, handles felony criminal cases and civil lawsuits with claims over $25,000. Its family division deals with matters such as divorce, child abuse and juvenile offenses.

Two non-incumbents are running for one open seat:

Attorney John Larkin has more than 30 years of legal experience in Wayne County, handling cases in personal injury, criminal defense, landlord-tenant cases, bankruptcy and more. He advocates for tracking judges’ arrival and departure times and their average time to resolve a case. He also supports making Zoom available in every courtroom. The Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association rated him “well qualified.” Read more about Larkin here.

Adrienne G. Scruggs has been an attorney for nearly 20 years, working in criminal, civil, family, and probate law. She works as a family law referee for the Friend of the Court at the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County and has previously worked for the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court – Friend of the Court. She believes judicial temperament matters, and said she tries to follow a former mentor’s advice to “always be calm.” The Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association rated her “well qualified.” Read more about Scruggs here.

Wayne County Probate Court candidates

The Probate Court handles wills, trusts, estates, involuntary mental health treatment matters and more. 

Four non-incumbents are competing for two open seats.

Attorney Todd E. Briggs has practiced law for more than 35 years. He is passionate about public policy involving estate planning and inheritance, and says he advocates for guardianship and conservatorship. He wants to create a supportive courtroom environment for families. He did not participate in the Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association ratings process.

Macie Gaines has been a lawyer for a decade. She works in private practice for clients navigating Wayne County Probate Court. She says she would treat everyone who enters her courtroom with dignity. She is chair of the Probate Litigation Section of the Detroit Bar Association. The Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association rated her “outstanding.” 

Ron L. Haywood has been a lawyer for 25 years and is an administrative hearing officer for Detroit’s Department of Appeals and Hearings, also known as blight court. He has also worked as a Wayne County assistant prosecutor. He says he was inspired by Black judges while watching the Detroit Recorder’s Court as a teen. He did not participate in the Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association ratings process.

Daniel L. Mercier is a member in good standing with the State Bar of Michigan but had his license suspended in 2013 for misconduct. The hearing panel found that he had “engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or violation of the criminal law, where such conduct reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer.” Mercier’s license was reinstated in 2018. He did not participate in the Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association ratings process.

36th District Court candidates

District court is sometimes called “the people’s court” because it’s the court most members of the public interact with. In Detroit, the 36th District Court handles criminal and civil cases, traffic violations and probation. The criminal division handles misdemeanor cases and certain aspects of felony cases. The civil division handles claims up to $25,000.

Three non-incumbents running for two open seats:

Andrea Bradley-Baskin is general counsel for the 36th District Court. She says she previously worked as an administrative law judge for the State of Michigan and a hearing officer for the City of Detroit. She says she’s committed to due process for everyone and unbiased decision-making that is based on the law. The Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association rated her “outstanding.”

William Burton, Jr. has worked as a 36th District Court magistrate since 2023. Magistrates are lawyers appointed by district judges who may hear small claims cases and perform other duties. He also served as a Wayne County assistant prosecutor for nearly two decades. Burton says he sought truth rather than convictions as an assistant prosecutor. The Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association rated him “qualified.”

Malaika Ramsey-Heath has been a 36th District Court magistrate since 2020. She previously worked as an appellate defender and as a private practice attorney. Ramsey-Heath acknowledges that judicial decisions can be difficult and unpopular but said she is committed to doing what’s right. The Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee of the Detroit Bar Association rated her “well qualified.”

Laura Herberg is a civic life reporter for Outlier Media. Sarah Hulett is the enterprise editor for Outlier Media.

One of the worst parts of World War II is coming to metro Detroit this month. And it’s scheduled to keep coming into January.

Each week about 25 semi-trucks will haul low-level radioactive waste from New York to a disposal site in Wayne County’s Van Buren township.

It’s by-products from the Manhattan Project, which created the atomic bombs dropped in Japan that ended World War II.

It’s also the latest in a series of toxic material shipments sent to Michigan raising concerns among some members of Congress and other officials.

That includes Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. He says there’s a disconnect between federal agencies that regulate hazardous waste, the company that owns the Van Buren disposal site and Michigan’s government.

“It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be the location of choice so often for this toxic material.”

-Wayne County Executive Warren Evans

Listen: Warren Evans on toxic atomic waste coming to Wayne County

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Warren Evans: I don’t believe that they level with us about what they’re doing. My trust level for them is almost zero. And it doesn’t lead to good results or good communications back and forth. The only time we hear about these waste issues is when a reporter writes a story and we read about it and they become automatically defensive. I’m concerned about the lack of notice (that shipments are coming to Michigan.) That leads me to be concerned about the level of hazardous waste in the material and the amount that’s coming and how it’s being transported.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: The Army Corps of Engineers has said they’re not required to notify anybody if they’re sending waste to a facility that’s allowed to take those kinds of shipments, which the one in Van Buren is. So when you say you don’t think that they’re leveling with you, what do you think needs to be changed?

WE: They said they’re not “required” to. What the heck does that mean? Does it mean there’s a prohibition about doing it? They’re hiding behind a rule that doesn’t require them to do it. But good public policy does require them to do it, them or somebody, I think. Hiding behind a rule that doesn’t make you do it just tells me the rule doesn’t make any sense and you’re not concerned about the reaction of the public’s health concerns about this. If that’s the way you feel, then I’m troubled by the whole thing.

QK: You’ve had a couple of town hall meetings about this and other toxic waste that came from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment. What are you hearing from residents about the situations?

WE: It’s real clear that residents don’t want it here. And what we hear from the federal agencies is how safe they claim to be and what the rules and federal regulations are. That’s not what people are asking for. They are asking for clear answers about why so much of it is coming here and just how safe is it? It’s troubling to me, because the agencies are answering questions in a very bureaucratic way. “This is regulation 207 and we’re required to do that.” It’s double-speak to me. People are asking about the health concerns that they have, the health concerns that they’re afraid of in the future. They are asking for solid, honest answers. Part of that would be alleviated if there was more discussion about the actual hazardous waste, the toxicity of it, how it’s being transported and how it is being kept in the landfill. That would help people determine whether the safety valves are there or not there. When you hear the agencies talk about it, they say they have a stellar track record for keeping us safe. And every year you hear about catastrophes that occur and violations that occur at these different waste treatment places. Those two notions don’t square in my mind or the minds of anybody else that has any sense.

QK: So you still have some concerns when state environmental officials say that they’ve tested this latest waste coming from the Manhattan Project, that it’s within the limits that the site is permitted to take? And there’s only seven similar sites in the country, so you just gotta grit your teeth and bear with it?

WE: Yeah but that doesn’t really make sense. There’s a significant amount of it that’s coming and there’s certainly no legal prohibition against dividing it into some different landfills. Why does it all have to come here? Particularly since the waste is rated at a level that would allow it to go to many other landfills — and many other landfills that are closer to New York than here. They can talk all day about how this landfill provides added security. But if the waste is rated low enough that it can go just about anywhere, then why don’t you send it just about anywhere?

QK: I have heard that it was somewhat cheaper to dispose of it in landfills here as opposed to other places. Have you heard that same reasoning?

WE: Absolutely. And I think that that, in and of itself, calls for a state solution. It appears to me that there are two solutions that we ought to be working on as a community. One is, we ought to act legislatively, get our legislature to refuse to take it. In other words, change the rules about Michigan being able to take the hazardous waste. That’s why it’s coming out of New York, New York won’t take it. That’s one option. That’s a pretty drastic one, but a significant one. The other one is to raise the tipping fees such that it is not so profitable for those who want to deliver the waste here. I think both of those are solutions that bear some close scrutiny and, I think, support.

There are many states that are less populated than Michigan. Wayne County is the largest by population county in the state of Michigan. It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be the location of choice so often for this toxic material. Nobody wants it. There’s no financial advantage to the county for accepting it. The disadvantages are creating a further health care risk. And we’re already rated poorly in the state of Michigan in terms of health indicators.

In August, Eva Goodman was placed in handcuffs and a jail uniform for sleeping in a courtroom during a field trip. Goodman, 15, was visiting with a group organized by the nonprofit the Greening of Detroit. During the visit, Judge Kenneth King of the 36th District court scolded the teen for her “attitude” and behavior.

Goodman’s mother told the Free Press after the incident that their family did not have permanent housing and got in late the night before. Judge King was temporarily removed from the court docket, and his classes at Wayne State University were reassigned due to his suspension.

Since the incident, the Created Equal team has been examining through conversations how society responds to people who live in poverty.

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dr. Rema-Vassar, a professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University, spent 20 years working in education and studies race, gender and class implications in schools. She says King’s response to the incident in court was inappropriate.

“My adviser at UCLA used to say, ‘all behavior is functional.’ There’s a reason for all behavior. So if the baby is sleeping in the court, the human response is to figure out why,” Vassar said. “Teachers get to come in and say, ‘I haven’t had my coffee. Don’t bother me for five minutes,’ right? A judge can say, ‘I have to take a recess, I need to compose myself and come back.’ Why aren’t children allowed to do that? Why can’t children say, ‘hey, I’m tired.'”

Vassar joined the show on Tuesday to talk more about how a student’s behavior in school can be a reflection of their circumstances at home.

Guest: 

• Dr. Rema-Vassar is a professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.