LANSING, MI (AP)-- The chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court says a criminal charge against a fellow justice closes an unhappy chapter at the state's highest court.
In a statement Saturday, Robert Young Junior says there's been an "unfortunate shadow over the court" since last spring when Justice Diane Hathaway's real estate deals first were revealed.
Hathaway has been charged with bank fraud in Detroit federal court. Prosecutors say she misled a bank about her assets while negotiating a short sale on her home in Grosse Pointe Park. The fraud charge comes just a few days before she quits the court Monday.
Attorney General Bill Schuette says scandals damage the public's trust in government. Schuette and Young are Republicans, while Hathaway is a Democrat.
Republican Governor Rick Snyder will appoint Hathaway's successor.
