HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – Hamtramck District Judge Alexis G. Krot is apologizing to a 72-year old cancer patient who she criticized and wanted to give jail time to due to overgrown weeds on his property.
Last week, the exchange between Judge Krot and Burhan Chowdhury received criticism on social media, after Krot called out the resident for plants that were overgrown around his property.
Chowdhury was in court for failing to maintain his property in violation of a city ordinance. The defendant said in court that he has cancer and is too weak to clear the property.
In a press release Tuesday, Judge Krot wrote that she made a mistake, and has reported her behavior to the Judicial Tenure Commission.
“I made a mistake. I acted intemperately. I’m very embarrassed that I did so,” Krot said. “I apologize to the person who appeared before me and to our entire community for having failed to meet the high standards we expect of our judicial officers and that I expect of myself.
“When someone appears before me and has made a mistake, I expect them to own up to it. I expect nothing less of myself. No ifs, ands, or buts: that is the reason I self-reported my behavior to the Judicial Tenure Commission. I had no legal duty to report myself to the Commission, but I did so because, like apologizing to the community, it was the right thing to do. I will continue to hold myself to the standards I set for others.”
The statement follows outpouring support for 72-year-old Chowdhury, who appeared in court last week with his son when the exchange took place.
During the hearing, which was captured on Zoom video, Krot can be seen and heard telling the older man how ashamed he should be of himself for the condition of his property. The hearing was later posted on Facebook.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” Krot said. “If I could give you jail time on this, I would.”
Krot later told the elderly man that he came back into her courtroom that she would put him in jail.
The viral video garnered 200K signatures for a petition to have Krot removed as a judge.
Krot’s full statement can be seen below.
