By Mike Kruzman & Jon King / news@whmi.com

A disgraced former Livingston County judge who was removed from the bench and served time in jail for perjury has been disbarred.

In December 2019, ex-District Court Judge Theresa Brennan pleaded guilty to a count of perjury in exchange for charges related to misconduct in office and tampering with evidence being dropped.

According to a February 24th order from the Attorney Discipline Board, Brennan acknowledged her felony conviction and as such, consented to her removal from the state bar effective March 18, 2021. The bar is the governing body for lawyers in Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in the state. Brennan’s license to practice law had been suspended since her conviction.

The charges against Brennan were filed by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office following a lengthy investigation by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission that concluded she violated her oath of office on a number of issues, most prominently her inappropriate relationship with Michigan State Police Detective Sean Furlong, who served as the chief prosecution witness in the murder trial of Jerome Kowalski, over which she presided. Kowalski’s conviction was vacated after the revelation of the relationship. He is awaiting a new trial date.

Brennan, who was later removed from the bench by the Michigan Supreme Court, was sentenced to six months in jail, 18 months of probation and 200 hours of community service. After serving most of the jail sentence, she was released in June of 2020.

Upon news of Brennan’s disbarment, State Senator Lana Theis of Brighton Township issued a release that said she was, “pleased that the long, sad saga of Theresa Brennan has reached its inevitable end today with her disbarment.” Theis added that, “It is a shame that so much time, effort and taxpayer money was wasted on her over the years leading up to this development but, in the end, justice prevailed. I am grateful for all who stood up to Brennan and for the rule of law throughout this process, and for those who are now working to restore honor and integrity in the Livingston County court system.”