Judge Bill Richards is the newest Judge of the 46th District Court.  Appointed to the bench by Governor Jennifer Granholm to succeed Judge Stephen Cooper, Judge Richards is a longtime local resident with a distinguished career in government. 

          As Senior Policy Advisor for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, he was responsible for environmental policy and legal issues for the past four years. 

          He is the former Deputy Attorney General, the principal deputy to Attorney General Jennifer Granholm (1999-2002), and former Assistant U.S. Attorney (1989-1998), where he prosecuted public corruption and drug crimes, and served as ethics officer for nine years.  Earlier, he was a staff attorney in the Federal Defender Office and law clerk to Judge Cornelia Kennedy.

          As an expert in advanced criminal procedure, Judge Richards taught at Cooley Law School.  He is the former President of Oakland-Livingston Legal Aid, where he helped provide free legal aid to the poor and seniors.  Judge Richards is a member of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force, a Judge in the National Black Law Students Association Annual Moot Court competition, and a mentor in the Volunteers in Prevention – VIP – program for youth.  He is a volunteer fundraiser for the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and a member of the Education Committee of the Southfield Community Foundation.  He is a member of First Congregational Church.

          Judge Richards earned both his bachelor’s degree and his law degree from the University of Michigan.  He and his wife Joan have been married for 38 years, and have two daughters, Jennifer and Kristin.