‘They Can’t Touch Me’: Michigan Judge Caught on Recording Admitting She’s a ‘Racist,’ Says If Black People Want to be Treated Equally, They Need to ‘Step Up’

Additional recordings have been released of a Michigan judge who made national headlines last month for her incendiary and racist rhetoric against Black people. Judge Kathleen Ryan was removed from the docket in August, WXYZ reported, after a court official who worked alongside her in the Oakland County Probate Court shared audio recordings in which she is heard launching into multiple homophobic and racist rants, dubbing herself a “new racist,” and calling Black Americans “lazy pieces of s–t.” Oakland County Chief Probate Pro Tem Judge Kathleen Ryan. (Photo: YouTube screenshot/WXYZ) This week’s newly released recordings obtained by the station reveal even more of Ryan’s racially charged sentiments as well as her beliefs that her judgeship and her connections to powerful people in the county and state protect her from disciplinary action. “I hate to say it, knock on wood. I really kind of am untouchable. … They can’t touch me. … They can’t touch my salary. They can’t touch my job. All they can do is have somebody run against me. Good luck!” Ryan is heard saying in one recording. In another recording, Ryan allegedly said, “…with this whole Black Lives Matter stuff, you know they’re like … everyone’s all...