Last day on bench

– Photo by John Meiu

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Richard B. Halloran served his last day on the bench before retirement on Friday, Dec. 28, in Detroit. He was appointed to the Third Circuit bench in 1998 by Gov. John Engler and proudly served all of his 20 years as a circuit court judge on the bench in the Family Division.

Before his judicial appointment, Halloran worked as a civilian attorney with the Department of the Army; quit the law and served as regional vice president of several national real estate firms; served as magistrate in the 36th District Court in Detroit; and, served as an administrative law judge for the Michigan Liquor Control Board. Halloran is recognized for his involvement in the fight against domestic abuse. He helped create the first domestic violence docket in the 36th District Court and actively campaigned to help create personal protection orders and making stalking a crime.

As a Circuit Court judge, he created the Personal Protection Order Docket and was instrumental in developing the Solution-Oriented Domestic Violence Prevention Docket that deals with high lethality cases. He also served on the Family Law Council of the State Bar of Michigan, serving as chair of the Section from 2016-17. He was involved in the creation of the LGBTQA Section of the State Bar and served as its chair from 2017-18.