WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – If Wayne County Judge Wade McCree wanted attention by sending a shirtless photo of himself, he's getting lots of it. The photo has pulled the lid off of a scandal that could end up kicking McCree off the bench and strip him of his law license.
The judge was a no-show at his own judicial tenure committee hearing Thursday.
READ: Amended complaint against Hon. Wade H. McCree
He was not required to attend. His attorney was there and laid out how the judge intends on defending himself against charges that McCree engaged in legal malpractice when he jumped into an affair with a woman who had a case before him.
Brian Einhorn said, "Hate to say it, obsession. An obsession between this 56-year-old guy and a 30-year-old woman."
READ: Full response from Judge Wade McCree
READ: Original complaint filed by Judicial Tenure Commission
Einhorn says the judge shouldn't be punished for the affair and 140 pages of text messages between the judge and the woman shouldn't be allowed to be used as evidence in his hearing. He lost and the text messages are in.
Judicial Tenure Commission lawyers say they'll be detailing Judge McCree's behavior from the bench:
Alleging that McCree mishandled a child support case to gain favor with the woman.
- That he harassed her.
- Filed a false felony claim against her.
- Encourgaged her to have an abortion when she said she was pregnant.
Every detail of the judge's actions will be heard May 20. The Judicial Tenure Committee has 18 witnesses. The hearing could last a week.