By Tammi Palmer
Judges Susan Borman, Craig Strong, and John Murphy have more than 128 years of combined service as judges in the State of Michigan.
Having been active in the legal community for such a long time, these judges racked up many "firsts" and have carved a path for future advocates, judges, and even Supreme Court justices
Judge Borman was the first woman of Jewish faith to join the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan.
At the time he was elected, Judge Strong was the youngest person to be elected to the Detroit Recorder's Court. He was also the youngest person to serve as the president of the Wolverine Bar Association.
Judge Murphy, still on the bench as a judge in the Civil Division, is the longest-serving judge in Third Circuit Court and appears to be the longest-serving African American judge in Michigan.
Judge Borman received a BA from Smith College. She attended Colombia Law School but left after her first year and came to Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan Law School and Art School before she completed her law degree at the University of Detroit. Judge Borman began her legal career working with the Legal Aid and Defender's Office. She was one of two women working for the Defender's Office at that time. Judge Borman participated in a jury trial on her first day of work with the Defender's Office. She recalled talking to her client, who stated "you are more nervous than I am."
Judge Borman was elected to Detroit Recorder's Court in 1972 and took the bench in 1973. She was the only woman in that general election and the first woman to be endorsed by the UAW. She was the second woman elected to Detroit Recorder's Court. Judge Borman ran for the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan in 1978. She was elected and took office in 1979. At the time, she was the only female judge on the bench with the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan. She told me that she always thought it was funny when the Chief Judge opened the judges' meetings with "Good afternoon, gentlemen." Judge Borman retired from Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan in 2014 with 41 years of service. When she retired, Judge Borman was a Business Court Judge.
I work with Judge Borman's court reporter. We reminisce about the days when Judge Borman donned her tennis shoes for a quick lunch workout. We also reminisce about how Judge Borman presided over her cases. She was fair, honest, and tough. From her I learned that you could be tough without being mean and you could be fair without appearing weak. Those were valuable lessons for a young, female attorney working in a male-dominated field.
Judge Strong retired from Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan in 2021 after 43 years of serving the residents of Detroit and Wayne County. He was born and raised on Detroit's West side, graduated from Cass Technical High School and then from Howard University. During his first year of law school at the Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State University School of Law), Judge Strong was drafted into the Army and served as a reservist. While a reservist, he finished his law degree and became an officer. He was honorably discharged from the Army and joined the Navy. While in the Navy, he served as a Military Law Judge.
Judge Strong began his career as a judge in 1978 when he was appointed as a referee for the Traffic & Ordinance Division of Detroit Recorder's Court. That same year he was elected to Detroit Recorder's Court. He became a Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan judge when the Recorder's Court and Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan merged. Judge Strong served in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions of the Third Judicial Circuit Court and has received many awards for his work in the legal community and with charities. Judge Strong is also infamous for his unique fashion tastes. Every time I see him we discuss his fashion choice that day. Some days it is a purple suit with a purple hat and other days it is an orange fur coat. According to Judge Strong, he is "styling, smiling, and profiling."
Judge Murphy has been a judge for 44 years and counting. He began his legal career in 1978 when he was elected to the Court of Common Pleas. When the Court of Common Pleas was eliminated, he became a 36th District Court Judge. In 1986 he was elected to the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan. Judge Murphy graduated from Southeastern High School. He then graduated from the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School.
Judge Murphy was one of the early African Americans elected to the Third Circuit Court. He is currently a judge in the Civil Division but has been a Wayne County Circuit Court judge long enough to have also worked one of the old hybrid dockets consisting of family, civil, and criminal cases. Judge Murphy served as the presiding judge of the Civil Division under multiple chief judges. It can easily be said that Judge Murphy has seen it all.
Judge Murphy is a hardworking and fair judge; a committed public servant. He has always impressed me with his patience and the way he treats his staff and the attorneys and litigants that come before him. In fact, his clerk, Katrina Ross, has been with him for 16 years. He had a profound impact on me as a new attorney and a new employee with the court. About two months after I began my career with the court, my father died. I hardly knew anyone in the court and didn't expect many people to reach out to me. When I returned to work after bereavement leave, I found a sympathy card from Judge Murphy. The fact that this elected official, a judge, took time out of his busy schedule to send a card to me, a person he probably had not even met, meant so much to me. I have not forgotten this kind act and, to this day, I work to emulate this level of kindness in the workplace.
These judges are keystones in the foundation of the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan and are respected for their commitment to public service. They have endured hardships and have had an impact on many, including me. It is judges like Judges Borman, Strong, and Murphy who succeeded as "firsts" that have paved the way for other firsts. It has been a great honor to work with and support these judges as they have blazed the way for others just like them.
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Tammi Palmer is director of case processing and court reporting services at Wayne County Circuit Court.
