DEARBORN — It’s been almost two full months since Chief Judge Sam Salamey began his term at the 19th District Court. On Tuesday, Feb. 26, The Arab American News chronicled Dearborn’s first Arab American judge and his day-to-day duties at the courthouse.

A typical day for Salamey begins at 8 a.m., when he comes in to prepare for his judging duties on the morning docket, which usually begins around 8:30 a.m. A second afternoon docket usually  follows around 1 p.m. as well. Salamey spends the rest of the day fulfilling his duties as Chief, which includes overseeing administrative operations and budgeting at the court. Typically he ends his work day between 5-6 p.m.

On this particular day, Salamey was overseeing the criminal docket involving numerous cases where individuals were arrested for allegedly committing some form of a crime. These alleged crimes included larceny, assault, driving under the influence and probation violations among others. Depending on the day, he also serves on the bench for the civil and arraignment dockets.

Salamey says when he first began his term at the beginning of the year, he immediately started tackling some of the administrative issues that may have negatively affected the courthouse in previous years.

“I have learned many things that I was not really aware of. Some of the hiring that took place in recent months, I had questions about that. I think we’ve ended up in a situation where we may have two or three positions more than we need to. I’m in the process of evaluating the operations and hopefully we are going to make some decisions to make sure the court is run efficiently and every tax dollar is used wisely and appropriately,” Salamey said.

Salamey says division within the court was also a persistent issue in the years prior, but now that seems to be fading away.

“In January of this year, there were a few outstanding issues in the court. Morale was down and there were some setbacks. I have met with all different components that make up the court. The city clerks office, the probation department, the other judges, and I believe we are on the right track to regain some of the respect that was lost. I’m very encouraged by the early signs that we are going to be able to bring everybody on the same page and to go back to having three judges in one court as opposed to having three courts in one building,”  Salamey added.

Judge Sam Salamey on the bench in courtroom No. 3 at the 19th District Court.

Administrative issues are just one component of Salamey’s daily duties. Overseeing the caseload and aiming to be a fair judge to Dearborn’s community is another. He says when making a fair judgment, he always applies the laws to the facts of the case and also takes criminal records and frequency of violations into consideration. He is also open to suggestions from the defense and prosecuting attorneys when they make plea bargains.

There have been a couple of instances where he had to excuse himself from a case because he had previously represented certain individuals when practicing as a lawyer. Salamey says Arab Americans or other individuals who may be looking for a bail out just because they might have previously known him before he became judge will be disappointed.

“At the end of the day, a judge has to have a conscious and he has to apply the law to the facts of the case. You have to be fair, impartial and you have to make a decision without bias, prejudice or fear. Some may be delighted that they are appearing in front of a judge that they’ve known before, but I will tell anyone that if you expect preferential treatment just because you see the judge at a social event or at a function, or because he may have represented you as a client, then you are going to be utterly disappointed,” Salamey says.

To witness the type of judge Salamey is, all one would have to do is sit in a courtroom for a few hours while he serves on the bench. Particular cases that stood out on this day included a Black male who had spent 35 days in jail for driving on an expired license and was in the possession of marijuana. He had also violated a probation from a previous larceny charge. Salamey placed the man on six months of probation, and subjected him to random drug testing. If he successfully completes his probation, the charges won’t appear on his record,   Salamey told the man in the courtroom.

A young White female from Garden City who had gotten into a dispute with her parents in Dearborn was originally charged with larceny, malicious acts, and tampering with a motor vehicle. Under a plea bargain, Salamey agreed to reduce the malicious act charge down to breach of peace, and agreed to drop the tampering with a motor vehicle charge. Under the two counts of which she pleaded guilty, Salamey placed her on probation for six months, and fined her over $700 in court fines, stemming from both charges. Salamey allowed the woman to make payment arrangement through the probation department and warned her to not return to her parents property until a full year after the incident.

But a case that stood out the most on this particular day involved a 63-year-old Arab American female who wore a headscarf. The woman was arrested and charged for assault and battery when she had gotten into a dispute with another female. On the podium, the woman appeared very disgruntled, and was having a difficult time accepting the terms of a plea bargain,  which was to reduce her assault and battery charge down to breach of peace. After making sure she understood English, Salamey had asked the woman if she agreed to the plea. The woman had stated that she was not guilty, but would accept the plea bargain regardless. Salamey found her statement to be unacceptable, and told her to regroup with her attorney before moving forward. 

“This court will not take a plea from a person who comes in front of the court and says ‘I’m pleading guilty, however I’m innocent, and just want to plead guilty to get it over with.’ That is not what the court will do. If you believe you are innocent, then the right thing to do would be to plead not guilty and ask for a bench trial or a jury trial,” Salamey firmly told the woman in the courtroom.

After speaking to her attorney, the woman returned in front of Salamey and pleaded guilty to breaching the peace. The woman’s attorney explained to Salamey that she has had a clean record up to this point, and has been a prominent member of the Dearborn community for a number of years. In the end, Judge Salamey gave her three months of probation, and court fines that amounted to over $300. If she completes her probation successfully, the charges will be taken off her record.  

During the court recess, Judge Salamey’s court reporter, Michelle Albright spoke highly of her short time working with Salamey thus far. Albright  had previously worked under Judge Richard Wygonik, and also spent years working at the 24th District Court in Allen Park. 

“He is fabulous on the bench. He is professional, and he respects every individual that comes up to this podium as if they are his equal. I’ve worked for a number of judges in the last 25 years and I would say Sam Salamey is by far the fairest judge. He has such a good demeanor and he is such a humble man. I am so thankful to be working with him,” Albright said.