Introduction
Judge Cedric Simpson has sat on the bench of Michigan’s 14A District Court in Washtenaw County since 1999, making him one of the longest-serving jurists in the region’s history. People search for Judge Cedric Simpson for a mix of reasons: some want to know how a local district judge built a 25-plus-year career, some are curious about the judicial misconduct case that made headlines in the mid-2010s, and others simply want a clear, factual overview of who he is and what he has done. Judge Simpson is also notable as the first African American man to serve on a Washtenaw County bench, and he has spent two decades teaching part-time at Washtenaw Community College alongside his judicial duties.
This article pulls together the verifiable public record on Judge Cedric Simpson — his early life, education, legal career, rise to the bench, courtroom reputation, and the disciplinary case that briefly removed him from full duty. Where public information is limited, such as his private financial details or current marital status, this article says so directly rather than guessing. By the end, readers will have a complete, accurate picture of who Judge Cedric Simpson is and why his name continues to come up in searches about Michigan’s court system.
Quick Facts Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | John Cedric Simpson (commonly known as J. Cedric Simpson) |
| Known As | Judge Cedric Simpson |
| Profession | District Court Judge, Adjunct Law Professor |
| Nationality | American |
| Birthplace | Detroit, Michigan |
| Raised In | Ann Arbor, Michigan (family relocated in the early 1970s) |
| Education | B.S., University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Summa Cum Laude); J.D., University of Maryland School of Law (1986) |
| Court | 14A District Court, Washtenaw County, Michigan (currently 14A-1, Pittsfield Township) |
| Years Active | 1986–present (judge since September 1999) |
| Marital Status | Publicly available information regarding this aspect is limited |
| Children | Publicly available information regarding this aspect is limited |
| Estimated Net Worth | Not publicly disclosed; judicial salary is a matter of public record, but a specific net worth figure is not verifiable |
Early Life and Background
Judge Cedric Simpson was born in Detroit, Michigan. His family moved to Ann Arbor in the early 1970s, when Simpson was still a young child, so that his father, Willie J. Simpson, could take a job as a counselor at Washtenaw Community College (WCC). Willie Simpson had grown up on a farm in Greenville, Alabama, and the move to Michigan represented a significant shift for the family. Simpson’s mother, Dorothy Jean Simpson, rounded out a household that also included three siblings: Delphia, Gary, and Karen.
Simpson has spoken publicly about visiting WCC as a boy while his father worked there, describing a small, single-building campus where every office, classroom, and the cafeteria sat under one roof. That early exposure to the college would matter decades later, when Simpson returned to WCC as an instructor.
As a teenager, Simpson originally wanted to become a veterinarian. That plan changed after a serious childhood incident: at age 13, he was accidentally shot in the eye with a pellet gun by other children in his Ann Arbor neighborhood and needed surgery afterward. His parents pursued the matter through legal channels, hiring an attorney, and the case eventually went to trial. Simpson has cited that early brush with the legal system as part of what steered him toward law rather than veterinary medicine.
Education and Academic Journey
Simpson’s formal education followed a clear path from undergraduate studies into law school. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He then went on to the University of Maryland School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1986.
After completing law school, Simpson returned to Michigan to begin his legal career. His academic record — particularly the Summa Cum Laude distinction at the undergraduate level — is one of the more consistently cited details in his public biography and reflects the foundation for the legal career that followed.
Legal Career Beginnings
Simpson’s professional legal career began immediately after law school. In December 1986, he joined the Ann Arbor–area firm Hamilton, McDonald, P.C. as an associate attorney. His early practice covered civil and criminal litigation, municipal ordinance enforcement, and a notable concentration in HUD-subsidized housing and landlord-tenant law — a practice area that would echo later in his judicial docket.
Simpson advanced within the firm relatively quickly. By May 1990, he had made partner, and the firm was renamed Hamilton, McDonald & Simpson to reflect his elevated position. During this period, Simpson also became active in bar leadership. In 1997, the Michigan Supreme Court appointed him a State Bar Commissioner, and from 1999 to 2000 he served as president of the Washtenaw County Bar Association — reportedly the only person to hold that presidency while also serving as a sitting judge, since his judicial appointment landed partway through his term. He also served earlier in his career as a prosecutor for Superior Township and later became a Past Chancellor of the Washtenaw County Inns of Court.
Rise to the Bench
In September 1999, Governor John Engler appointed Cedric Simpson to the 14A District Court in Washtenaw County. The appointment made him the first African American man to sit on a Washtenaw County bench, a milestone that remains part of his public identity to this day.
Simpson’s judicial responsibilities grew quickly. From January 2002 through December 2007, he served as Chief Judge of the 14A District Court, overseeing the administration of the court in addition to his own caseload. During this period he also began teaching, joining Washtenaw Community College as an adjunct professor in 2002 — a role he has now held for more than two decades, in addition to periods teaching at law schools and Eastern Michigan University.
Simpson was re-elected to the bench multiple times, including an unopposed re-election in 2012. In mid-2010, his docket was reorganized: rather than handling both criminal and civil matters, he was reassigned to manage general civil cases, landlord-tenant disputes, and civil pretrial hearings for the 14A District Court. Public reporting from Washtenaw County indicates he handled the court’s roughly 9,000 annual civil case filings largely on his own from 2010 through 2022, before later reporting shows him again handling both criminal and civil matters at the 14A-1 District Court location in Pittsfield Township.
Over the course of his career, Simpson received several honors, including being named 2000 Man of the Year by the Ypsilanti Community Junior Athletic Association, 2002 Jurist of the Year by the Police Officers Association of Michigan, and a recipient of the Father Bernard J. O’Connor Award from the Dispute Resolution Center for his contributions to conflict resolution.
Judge Cedric Simpson’s Courtroom Style
Public descriptions of Judge Simpson’s courtroom manner consistently point to a combination of firmness and empathy. Coverage of his docket has described his approach as no-nonsense on matters of discipline while paired with a willingness to show compassion toward the people appearing before him — particularly in landlord-tenant and civil matters, where the outcomes can directly affect housing stability.
Simpson has said publicly that he believes district courts are the branch of the judiciary closest to the community, and that every person who appears before the court deserves to be heard, understood, and treated with respect. That philosophy is reflected in a program he started roughly a decade ago called HELPP, an eviction-prevention initiative that streamlines access to state emergency relief and local housing assistance directly through the Landlord-Tenant docket, aiming to keep tenants housed rather than simply processing evictions.
In 2018, while campaigning for re-election, Simpson also discussed wanting to create a specialized drug court aimed at heroin and fentanyl cases, modeled on a program in Buffalo, New York, that would let people seek treatment through the court system with or without pending charges.
Most Notable Cases or Public Appearances
Two episodes account for most of the public attention Judge Simpson has received outside his routine docket.
The 2013–2017 judicial misconduct case. In 2013, one of Simpson’s interns, Crystal Vargas, was involved in a car accident near his home and was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission’s formal complaint, Simpson arrived at the scene, identified himself to the responding officer as a judge, and spoke with Vargas during the sobriety investigation without the officer’s permission. He also contacted the township attorney handling the case, disclosed that Vargas was his intern, and discussed possible defense attorneys with the attorney. The commission filed a formal complaint against Simpson in November 2014, and the case went through several stages of review: a 2015 recommendation that he be removed from the bench, a 2015 order sending the case back to the commission to weigh new evidence, and a reaffirmed removal recommendation in March 2016. The case ultimately reached the Michigan Supreme Court, which heard arguments in October 2016. In July 2017, the court ordered a nine-month suspension without pay rather than removal, allowing Simpson to eventually return to the bench. One justice, Justice Markman, dissented and argued Simpson should have been removed entirely. This case remains the most searched and most consequential public event in Simpson’s judicial career, and it is documented extensively through Michigan Supreme Court filings, Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission records, and contemporaneous news coverage from outlets including MLive and The Detroit News.
The 2024 viral Zoom hearing. In May 2024, Simpson presided over a case that drew national attention after a defendant, Corey Harris, joined a virtual court hearing for a driving-without-a-license charge from behind the wheel of a moving car. The clip circulated widely on social media. When Harris returned to Simpson’s courtroom, Simpson addressed conflicting news reports about whether Harris’ license suspension had actually been resolved, clarifying on the record that no clerical error had occurred and that Harris had simply not completed the steps required to have his suspension lifted.
Beyond these two episodes, publicly available information about additional named cases handled by Judge Simpson is limited, since most of his docket consists of routine civil, landlord-tenant, and misdemeanor matters that do not generate individual news coverage.
Personal Life
Judge Simpson’s personal history is documented mainly through interviews about his upbringing rather than his adult family life. He has spoken about his parents, Willie J. Simpson and Dorothy Jean Simpson, and his three siblings, Delphia, Gary, and Karen, describing a close-knit family that relocated from Detroit to Ann Arbor when he was young. He has also spoken emotionally about his father’s death and the gesture Washtenaw Community College made by lowering its flag to half-staff as his father’s funeral procession passed through campus.
Publicly available information regarding Simpson’s current marital status, spouse, or children is limited. He has not made these details a matter of public record in the sources reviewed for this article.
In terms of community involvement, Simpson is a member of several civic and charitable organizations, including the Community Action Network, the Ypsilanti Corner Health Center, and the Peace Neighborhood Center Advisory Board. He is also a member and past chairperson of the State Bar of Michigan’s Race, Ethnic, and Gender Bias Committee, and a member and past vice president of the Vanzetti M. Hamilton Bar Association. His long-running role as an adjunct instructor at Washtenaw Community College — now spanning more than two decades — is one of the most consistent threads of his public and community life, and he has said he values teaching there over paid teaching opportunities at law schools because of the personal connection he feels with WCC’s students.
Judge Cedric Simpson Net Worth
There is no reliable, publicly disclosed figure for Judge Cedric Simpson’s net worth. As a sitting district court judge, his salary is set according to Michigan’s judicial compensation schedule and is a matter of public record in general terms, but no verified, itemized net worth estimate for Simpson personally has been published by a credible source. Any specific dollar figure circulating online should be treated as unverified. Publicly available information regarding this aspect is limited.
Interesting Facts About Judge Cedric Simpson
- He is the first African American man to serve on a Washtenaw County bench.
- He originally planned to become a veterinarian before a childhood injury helped redirect him toward law.
- He earned his undergraduate degree Summa Cum Laude from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
- He has taught as an adjunct professor at Washtenaw Community College for more than 20 years.
- He was appointed to the bench by Governor John Engler in September 1999.
- He served as Chief Judge of the 14A District Court for six years, from 2002 to 2007.
- He is reportedly the only person to serve as Washtenaw County Bar Association president while simultaneously sitting as a judge.
- He created the HELPP eviction-prevention program to connect tenants with emergency housing assistance directly through the court.
- He was suspended without pay for nine months in 2017 following a judicial misconduct case tied to his intern’s DUI arrest.
- He drew national media attention in 2024 after a defendant appeared at a virtual hearing while driving a car.
Legacy and Influence
Judge Cedric Simpson’s career reflects both the routine, high-volume work of a district court judge and a few moments of intense public scrutiny. On the routine side, his decades handling landlord-tenant and civil matters, along with his creation of the HELPP eviction-prevention program, have had a direct and repeated impact on Washtenaw County residents facing housing instability. His teaching work at Washtenaw Community College has extended his influence into the classroom, where students describe him as bringing practical, real-world perspective to legal education.
At the same time, the 2013–2017 misconduct case is an unavoidable part of any accurate account of his career. The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission twice recommended his removal from the bench, and the Michigan Supreme Court ultimately opted for a nine-month unpaid suspension instead, with at least one justice publicly disagreeing with that outcome. That episode remains part of the public record and is central to understanding his full judicial history, alongside his community recognition and long tenure on the bench.
Taken together, Simpson’s record shows a judge who has held elected and appointed judicial office in Washtenaw County for more than 25 years, weathered a serious disciplinary proceeding, and continued to serve afterward. His influence on the local legal community — as a former bar association president, longtime educator, and architect of a locally recognized eviction-prevention program — is well documented, even as some aspects of his personal life remain outside the public record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Judge Cedric Simpson? Judge Cedric Simpson is a district court judge who has served on Michigan’s 14A District Court in Washtenaw County since 1999. He is the first African American man to sit on a Washtenaw County bench and has also served for decades as an adjunct law instructor at Washtenaw Community College.
How old is Judge Cedric Simpson? Judge Simpson’s exact birth date is not part of the verifiable public record reviewed for this article, so a precise current age cannot be confirmed. Publicly available information regarding this aspect is limited.
Where did Judge Cedric Simpson study? He earned his undergraduate degree, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1986.
What court does Judge Cedric Simpson serve in? He serves on the 14A District Court in Washtenaw County, Michigan, currently presiding primarily over the 14A-1 District Court location in Pittsfield Township.
Is Judge Cedric Simpson married? Publicly available information regarding his marital status is limited, so this cannot be confirmed one way or the other from verifiable sources.
What is Judge Cedric Simpson known for? He is known for his long tenure on the 14A District Court, his role as the first African American man on a Washtenaw County bench, his creation of the HELPP eviction-prevention program, and a 2013–2017 judicial misconduct case that resulted in a nine-month unpaid suspension.
What is Judge Cedric Simpson’s estimated net worth? No reliable, publicly disclosed net worth figure exists for Judge Simpson. His judicial salary follows Michigan’s public compensation schedule, but a specific net worth estimate has not been verified by a credible source.
Conclusion
Judge Cedric Simpson’s career spans more than three decades in Michigan law, from his start as an associate attorney in Ann Arbor to more than 25 years on the 14A District Court bench, including six years as Chief Judge. His achievements include breaking a historic barrier as the first African American man to serve on a Washtenaw County bench, building a long-running eviction-prevention program, and maintaining a second career as a community college instructor that has touched hundreds of students. His record also includes a serious judicial misconduct case that led to a nine-month unpaid suspension in 2017 — a matter that remains part of his public history and is documented through Michigan Supreme Court and Judicial Tenure Commission records.
Together, these threads describe a judge whose influence on Washtenaw County’s legal system has been substantial and, at times, controversial. For readers searching for information on Judge Cedric Simpson, the most accurate picture is one that includes both his long record of public service and the disciplinary history that shaped part of his tenure on the bench.