By: Kathryn Pentiuk | Southfield Sun | Published November 12, 2024
SOUTHFIELD/LATHRUP VILLAGE — In the Nov. 5 election, two candidates ran for one six-year judgeship of the 46th District Court, with incumbent Debra Nance coming out on top.
Nance won with 26,527 votes (58.60%). Her opponent, Robin Dillard-Russaw, followed with 18,454 votes (40.76%).
Nance said she is pleased to announce that she will be sworn into her third term at 4 p.m. Dec. 3, which is her birthday, in the 46th District Court by Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, with retired Judge Denise Langford Morris, the first African American judge in Oakland County, also in attendance. She added that Harris Bolden helped her campaign back in 2012, so it’s a “full circle moment” for her.
Nance was first elected in 2012, and when she finishes this six-year term, she will retire, having completed 18 years on the bench.
She explained that she got a late start as an attorney.
She attended night classes at Wayne State University while she worked in Nissan’s human resources department.
“By that time, I had a family and a husband and a couple of kids and a mortgage and a cat and a full-time job,” she said.
As a first-year law student, Nance attended a reception hosted by a judge for attorneys to connect.
“She said to us, and I’ll never forget it, she said, ‘All of you are going to be excellent attorneys, but it’s lonely on the bench. Consider a career as a judge,’ and a little light bulb went off in my head, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, that could never be.’ I’m a first-generation college graduate. I had always wanted to be a lawyer, and it took me some time to get back to law school, because I had so much college debt when I graduated undergraduate, and I just never dreamed that I could be a judge. It was just beyond my wildest imagination.”
In 2008, Nance began researching how to become a judge. She ran in 2010 for 46th District Court judge and lost, but she decided to try again in 2012 and won.
“I got 44% of the vote my first time out, and I was encouraged to do it again, so I came back, and I tell people who run and don’t win the first time, ‘If you’re really serious about it, do it again, because the first time you don’t even know what you don’t know about the whole campaign process,’ which can be daunting,” she said.
During her time on the bench, Nance has advocated for domestic violence survivors, drunk driving awareness, mental health, and opioid addiction awareness, held programs to help educate the public on the materials needed to attend court, and to close the intimidation gap between judges and the public.
“I see misdemeanors and I see people who come in on felonies. I see those cases all the way through, and I am determined in a lot of instances to try to turn the behavior around. I want to keep our community safe, but I want to give to the 18-, 19-, 20-, 21-year-olds that I see another option. So I have the ability to actually sentence them to skilled trades programs that have a GED component,” Nance said.
She said it’s important to her to give young people the opportunity to change their direction.
“I think when young people see another vision for their future, they’re less apt to get back into trouble. And if that happens, if I can catch them early and young and just redirect them, if they are now making $45 to $75 an hour as a pipe fitter, they’re less likely to come back. They now have a reason not to get in trouble again.”
Nance thanked those who have supported her publicly and privately for their continued confidence in her. She addressed a Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission investigation.
“I think that just as I have won my re-election because people have believed in me, I also believe that I will vindicate myself from any current allegations of any misbehavior of any kind. I take my job too seriously. I take upholding the law seriously. I would not risk my position for anything or anybody. And I believe in being truthful. I believe that integrity is what you do when no one is watching, and character is what you portray when everyone’s watching. And I have portrayed the integrity and the character to hold this position. I feel strongly that if I can’t stand up for myself, then I can’t stand up for the rights of anyone in my court. So I intend to stand up for myself in the face of any adversity and in the face of any allegation.”
Her challenger, Dillard-Russaw, thanked her supporters.
“Your tireless dedication, belief in our message, and commitment to our community have meant the world to me,” she said. “Together, we stood up for integrity, fairness, and the need for a court system that serves every member of our community equally. We advocated for greater transparency, efficiency in our courts, and a justice system that prioritizes respect and dignity for all. These are not just campaign promises but values that continue to guide my work. This journey was never about one election — it was about real, lasting change for our community. While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, our efforts have laid a strong foundation for future progress. I remain dedicated to advocating for justice and improving the lives of our neighbors.”
For more information on 46th District Court, visit www.cityofsouthfield.com/departments/46th-district-court.