Ex-Detroit Judge Sues To Get Name On Ballot

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 05/11/2026) A former Detroit judge who has been prohibited from serving on the bench for six years has not given up her fight to get on the 2026 ballot.

Kahlilia Yvette Davis, who served on the 36th District Court bench, is challenging the Bureau of Elections’ decision that she’s disqualified from appearing on the ballot due to the suspension ordered by the Michigan Supreme Court.

“It is in her interest and the interest of her constituents that her name is on the ballot so the voters of the 36th District Court can choose who is in their best interest to be a District Judge in their community,” the complaint reads.

The case has been assigned to Court of Claims Judge James Robert Redford, who ordered the state to file a response by 4 p.m. Friday, and he’s given Davis an opportunity to reply to the state's arguments.

If a hearing is needed, that is tentatively scheduled for 1:30 p.m. June 5 at the Hall of Justice in Lansing, according to court records.

Davis’ term ended Jan. 1, 2023, and she sought to run for re-election in 2022, but was bounced after lying on her affidavit of identity. In June that year, the Supreme Court suspended her for six years for engaging in “repeated, deliberate misconduct.”

Davis’ complaint argues that the SOS “lacks legal authority to decertify” Davis from the ballot due to the Supreme Court’s disciplinary order.