Livingston County District Judge Theresa Brennan is in big trouble.
The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission filed a complaint Tuesday against Brennan, accusing her of misconduct, alleging she failed to disclose her relationship to a State Police sergeant, failed to disqualify herself from some cases and lied to investigators who questioned her, John Wisely of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Brennan's actions constitute a "pattern of misconduct in violation of the code of judicial ethics," wrote Lynn Helland, a former federal prosecutor, who heads up the Tenure Commission.
Brennan did not return a phone message left with her secretary seeking comment, the Freep reports, adding:
Brennan has been under fire for more than year, since she acknowledged in a divorce deposition that she had an affair with State Police Sgt. Sean Furlong, who was the lead investigator in a murder trial she was hearing.
Brennan insists the affair began after the January 2013 trial of Jerome Kowalski was over, though text messages show she and Furlong were communicating after-hours while the trial was ongoing.
The judge now has 14 days to respond, and could face a trial before the Tenure Commission, which recommends discipline. The Michigan Supreme Court makes the final decision on discipline.