No Suspension For Oakland County Judge Who Locked Up 3 Siblings
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) -- There will be no suspension for Oakland County Judge Lisa Gorcyca in a misconduct case that occurred in 2015.
In a 6-1 ruling, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered Gorcyca be publicly censured for committing judicial misconduct. The justices say Gorcyca became admittedly frustrated and exasperated at a hearing two years ago when she was attempting to convince three children to participate in parenting time with their father.
Gorcyca made headlines in 2015 when she held three kids in contempt and sent them to juvenile detention for two weeks. The incident stemmed from a contentious divorce. The judge blamed the mother for alienating the two boys and their younger sister from their father.
The children's parents, Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni and Omer Tsimhoni, had been involved in a bitter divorce battle for years. The Bloomfield Hills couple, who married in 1995, made dozens of court appearances concerning parenting time, therapy, schooling and other issues — but never reached a common ground.
At a 2015 hearing, Gorcyca told the children that their father has "gone through hoops" to maintain a relationship with them despite his issues with their mother. The judge insisted the children make an effort to talk to their father and Omer Tsimhoni suggested they have lunch together — but the children refused.
The children — then 9, 10 and 15 — were taken into custody and hauled off to Children's Village after declining to have lunch with their father.
The Supreme Court says Gorcyca committed misconduct by failing to be respectful. But the court says other mistakes by the judge were legal errors made in good faith. The court says no attorney objected.
The Judicial Tenure Commission had recommended a 30-day, unpaid suspension for Gorcyca.
© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.