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Karen McDonald (politician)

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Karen D. McDonald
Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2021
Preceded byJessica Cooper
Judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court
In office
January 1, 2013 – April 19, 2019
Personal details
Born (1970-07-11) July 11, 1970 (age 54)
Lansing, Michigan
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJeffrey
Children5
ResidenceBirmingham, Michigan
Alma materAlma College (BA)
Wayne State University (JD)
ProfessionAttorney, politician, teacher
WebsiteCampaign website
Oakland County Prosecutor's Office

Karen Diane McDonald (born July 11, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician currently serving as the prosecuting attorney of Oakland County, Michigan, and formerly as a judge on Michigan's 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life, education, and career

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Karen McDonald was born on July 11, 1970, in Lansing, Michigan, alongside her fraternal twin sister Kristen McDonald Rivet, to parents Bob and Kathy McDonald.[1] Shortly after she was born, McDonald’s parents moved from the Lansing area to Portland, Michigan, where she was raised. McDonald graduated from Portland High School and earned her B.A. in English and political science from Alma College in 1992.[2] She became a public school English teacher and was a member of her local Michigan Education Association union.

After graduating cum laude from Wayne State University Law School in 1998, McDonald joined the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office as an assistant prosecuting attorney, where she prosecuted child sexual assault cases as well as general misdemeanors and felonies and maintained a 100 percent conviction rate.[2] In 2004, McDonald joined the Oakland County-based firm Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss P.C., where she specialized in civil and family law, and was named partner and shareholder in 2010.[2]

In her career, McDonald has carved out significant legal expertise in matters relating to children. Notably, she has been a member of the Foster Care Review Board Program Advisory Committee, Department of Health & Human Services Human Trafficking Protocol Revision Committee, Child Death Review Committee, Oakland County Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force, National Counsel of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Michigan Judges Association, the Women’s Lawyer Association of Michigan, and the Oakland County Bar Association.[2] In 2018, she was the recipient of the Oakland County Domestic Violence Prevention Award and the Joan E. Young Champion of Children Award.[3]

2012 election and Circuit Court judge

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Judge Karen McDonald presides over first same-sex adoption in State of Michigan

In 2012, McDonald ran for an open seat on the Oakland County Circuit Court,[4] winning the non-partisan judicial election with nearly 60% of the vote.[5] Taking office in January 2013, McDonald presided for over six years as a family court judge, taking a docket focused on divorce and custody, child abuse and neglect, as well as juvenile delinquency cases.[3] In 2015, McDonald presided over the first same-sex adoption in the history of the State of Michigan, stating that the case was a great honor.[6] McDonald was unopposed in her 2018 re-election bid, and on November 6, 2018, she was elected for a second six-year term on the 6th Circuit Court, ranking as the top vote-earner of incumbent circuit court judges.[7]

2020 election and Oakland County Prosecutor

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In April 2019, McDonald stepped down from her judgeship,[8] announcing her intention to run for the Democratic nomination for Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney in the 2020 election. [8] McDonald campaigned on a progressive, reformist platform focused on limiting incarceration for non-violent crimes, and ensuring prosecutorial decisions are informed by racial justice considerations.[9] McDonald’s campaign was endorsed by 87 individuals and organizations, including the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, and numerous local Democratic Party elected officials, party leaders, organizations and associations.[10] On August 4, 2020, McDonald defeated incumbent prosecutor Jessica Cooper, claiming the Democratic nomination for Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney and advancing to the general election.[11] On November 3, 2020, McDonald was elected Oakland County Prosecutor, and was the top vote-getter among all county-wide candidates.[12]

First Term as Oakland County Prosecutor

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Karen McDonald took office on January 1, 2021.[13] On her first day in office, Karen announced several key priorities for her administration, including a robust focus on juvenile justice, restoring prosecutorial fairness/fair and just prosecution, and reducing mass incarceration/dedicating resources to targeting crime drivers.

Within her first 100 days in office, Prosecutor McDonald shared the status of several important initiatives she undertook upon taking office. Within this time, her administration issued resentencing memos for nearly two dozen juvenile lifers, rolled out prosecutorial discretion to Assistant Prosecutors, established the Trafficking Unit and the Hate Crimes Unit, re-engaged the Prosecutor’s Office as an active participant in over a dozen diversion programs and treatment courts, formed a team dedicated to establishing a Conviction Integrity Unit, and re-established critical relationships with community and law enforcement partners. [14]

Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU)

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Immediately after taking office, Prosecutor McDonald formed an internal team dedicated to establishing Oakland County’s first-ever Conviction Integrity Unit. After receiving the necessary funding from the Board of Commissioners, the CIU was officially launched in February 2022. The CIU is tasked with reviewing claims of wrongful convictions and making recommendations to remedy them where appropriate. [15]

Trafficking Unit

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Michigan consistently ranks in the top states for human trafficking. To combat this, Prosecutor McDonald transformed the Narcotics Unit into a Trafficking Unit, shifting the focus from the use and possession of drugs to the trafficking of drugs and people. The Trafficking Unit has had success in prosecuting and convicting cases. Notably, in September 2023, Richard Coleman was found guilty by an Oakland County jury on all eleven charges brought against him by the Prosecutor’s Office, including Human Trafficking. The investigation revealed that over 20 women were identified as having been abused and trafficked by Coleman. [16]

Prosecutor of Oxford High School Shooting

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On November 30, 2021, a school shooter at Oxford High School took the lives of Madisyn Baldwin, Justin Shilling, Tate Myre, and Hana St. Juliana, injured several others, and terrorized an entire community. Prosecutor McDonald led the prosecution against the shooter, along with his parents who were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the gross negligence that led to the horrific shooting. The shooter pled guilty to all 24 counts against him as charged on October 4, 2022 [17] After a Miller hearing in fall 2023, the shooter was sentenced to Life Without Parole on December 8, 2023, by Judge Kwamé Rowe [18]

Jennifer Crumbley was convicted on February 6, 2024 [19] James Crumbley was convicted on March 14, 2024 [20] Both James and Jennifer were sentenced on April 9, 2024, by Judge Cheryl Matthews and each received a term of 10-15 years imprisonment, above the guidelines [21]

Commission to Address Gun Violence

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Following the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the first school shooting since Oxford, along with increased gun violence throughout the community, Prosecutor McDonald formed the Commission to Address Gun Violence in September 2022. [22] Composed of over 25 stakeholders from various disciplines across the nation, the Commission was tasked with creating and publishing a comprehensive, evidence-based model that can be offered as a protocol to schools, employers, municipalities, and community members to reduce gun violence [15]

Electoral history

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Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney, 2024 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Karen McDonald 419,935 58
Republican Scott Farida 307,681 42
Total votes 727,616 99
Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney, 2020 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Karen McDonald 411,975 56.9
Republican Lin Goetz 311,360 43.0
Total votes 723,335 98
Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney, 2020 Democratic Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Karen McDonald 131,545 65.8
Democratic Jessica Cooper (incumbent) 68,325 34.2
Total votes 199,870 100
Judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court, 2018 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Karen McDonald (incumbent) 279,690 21.50
Nonpartisan Denise Langford Morris (incumbent) 263,504 20.25
Nonpartisan Leo Bowman (incumbent) 261,649 20.11
Nonpartisan Phyllis McMillen (incumbent) 256,287 19.70
Nonpartisan Michael Warren (incumbent) 240,013 18.45
Total votes 1,301,143 100
Judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court, 2012 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Karen McDonald 250,228 58.97
Nonpartisan Dan Crist 171,125 40.33
Total votes 424,334 100

References

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  1. ^ "Obituary: Kathryn Anita McDonald". Dignity Memorial. 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "About Karen McDonald". McDonald for Prosecutor. 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Former Judge Launches Campaign for County Prosecutor". Oakland County Legal News. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Birmingham Attorney to Run for Oakland County Judge Position". Patch. 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Oakland County Official Election Results - November 6, 2012 General Election". Oakland County Clerk. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Same-sex marriage pioneers, kids cheer joint adoption". Detroit News. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Oakland County Official Election Results - November 6, 2018 General Election". Oakland County Clerk. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Oakland County judge stepping down in bid for prosecutor's job". Oakland Press. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  9. ^ "MCDONALD MAKES THE CASE FOR CHANGE IN THE OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE". McDonald for Prosecutor. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Endorsements". McDonald for Prosecutor. 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Challenger defeats Cooper in Oakland County prosecutor race". Associated Press. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Oakland County Official Election Results - November 3, 2020 General Election". Oakland County Clerk. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  13. ^ Press, Mark Cavitt | The Oakland (2021-01-05). "Karen McDonald begins first week as Oakland County prosecutor, eyeing policy reforms". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  14. ^ Martindale, Mike. "Oakland County's new prosecutor highlights 'smarter solutions'". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  15. ^ a b "Policy Priorities".
  16. ^ "Man facing 100 years in prison for human trafficking in Oakland Co". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  17. ^ "Michigan school shooter, 16, pleads guilty to killing four classmates". NBC News. 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  18. ^ Sanchez, Ray; Brown, Nicki; Sangal, Aditi; CNN (2023-12-08). "Ethan Crumbley sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing 4 students in Michigan school shooting". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-19. {{cite web}}: |last4= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ "Michigan school shooter's mother convicted of manslaughter". Reuters.
  20. ^ Fortin, Jacey (14 March 2024). "James Crumbley Found Guilty New York Times". The New York Times.
  21. ^ "Michigan school shooter's parents sentenced to 10 years in prison for not stopping a 'runaway train'". AP News. 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  22. ^ Nichols, Anna Liz. "Oakland County Prosecutor's Office launches commission on gun violence". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
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