EAST LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Wayne County judge was called on the carpet last month during a virtual court appearance inside an East Lansing courtroom.
Watch Ross Jones' video report:
Judge Cylenthia LaToye Miller was scolded by a 54-B District Court judge in June after Miller appeared on behalf of a young woman she had once been the guardian of that she described as “like my daughter.”
“Are you a sitting judge?” asked Judge Molly Hennessey Greenwalt, who presided over the arraignment.
Miller responded: “I am,” adding that she was appearing in her capacity as an attorney and that she was only there for “this limited purpose.”
That drew a sharp rebuke from Judge Greenwalt, who said Miller’s appearance was “wholly improper” and in conflict with the law and court statutes.
Miller was representing the young woman on an operating while impaired charge in addition to other offenses inside the East Lansing District Court.
“My understanding was if it was an immediate family member, there could be a limited representation," Miller said. "Like I said, I only came today to try to talk with the prosecutor."
At that point, Judge Greenwalt interrupted Miller.
“Okay, well I would find that to be wholly improper too,” Greenwalt said. “It could raise the appearance of impropriety, you using our office to speak with the prosecuting attorney.”
Lynn Helland spent nearly a decade leading the Judicial Tenure Commission, which investigates misconduct complaints involving judges, saying that they're barred from practicing in other courtrooms so that they don’t use their positions to influence rulings, and so that other judges don’t feel pressure to rule in their favor.
“And the third reason is appearance of impropriety,” Helland said. “It’s to help ensure that the public doesn’t perceive that one judge is granting favoritism to another judge.”
During the arraignment, Judge Greenwalt said she would not move forward with Miller representing her loved one, and added: “I’m sorry to say, I have a duty now to report this to the (Michigan) State Bar.”
It was not immediately clear if a complaint had been filed with either the state bar or the Judicial Tenure Commission.
Judge Miller’s conduct has been questioned before. In 2024, she was found with a loaded and unregistered firearm inside Detroit Metro Airport.
She would later plead no contest to a weapons charge, was given probation, and was eligible to have the case removed from her record down the road.
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Last year, she drew the ire of Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy after Miller dismissed a murder case involving a 9-month-old girl.
Miller tossed the case after learning that Detroit Police failed to share all body camera footage with the defense. Worthy said the discovery violation didn’t warrant dismissing the entire case, and appealed Miller’s ruling.
The appeal is still pending.
As for the June hearing inside East Lansing district court, it was adjourned and rescheduled with Judge Miller told she could not return.
A phone call to Judge Miller seeking comment for this story was not returned.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.