WLNS-TV reports that former Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson, who presided over the 2022 trial of three men connected to the plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has been formally found by the Michigan Supreme Court to have committed years of judicial misconduct.

Nearly Two Decades of Judicial Shenanigans

MORE NEWS: Michigan House Takes Stand Against Antisemitism as Jewish Democrats Split Over El-Sayed

According to the findings, and a settlement agreement with the judge, Wilson spent approximately 18 years concealing overdue court decisions by directing employees not to properly report them.

But that was just the beginning.

Wilson also interfered in criminal matters involving people he knew, attempted to wipe out his own $2,030 child support balance, made inappropriate sexual remarks to female colleagues and failed to disclose business relationships with attorneys appearing before him.

There were also reports of alcohol-related behavior and delayed decisions involving emergency personal protection orders.

Retired Before the Hammer Came Down

Here’s the kicker: Wilson was reelected in 2024 and retired in February 2026 – months before the Supreme Court’s October ruling. The formal complaint against Wilson was filed in September of 2025 by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission.

The court formally confirmed his misconduct and prohibited him from returning to judicial office. However, a temporary restriction involving visiting-judge assignments had already expired.

MORE NEWS: Michigan Democrats Change Their Tune About How ‘No One Is Above the Law’ After Omar Raid

For a man responsible for holding others accountable, Wilson managed to avoid his own final judicial reckoning until after he’d already left the bench.

Whitmer Plot Convictions Overturned on Legal Grounds

Wilson’s misconduct findings do not establish wrongdoing in the Whitmer kidnapping case. But in a surprising twist, all three men convicted in the 2022 Whitmer kidnapping plot trial – Pete Musico, Joseph Morrison and Paul Bellar – had their convictions overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals in June and July 2026.

The appeals court determined that kidnapping did not qualify as an underlying violent felony under the specific language of Michigan’s terrorism statute, undermining the legal basis for their convictions. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel disagreed with the rulings and announced plans to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court. The reversals were based on legal issues, not findings of misconduct by Judge Thomas Wilson, who presided over their trial.