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Macomb County Commissioners Hire Lawyer For Judge

MT CLEMENS (WWJ/AP) - Macomb County commissioners have hired a law firm to represent a judge who may be in hot water with the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission.

The commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to provide legal counsel to Circuit Judge Richard Caretti. Taxpayers will be footing the bill.

Attorney Brian Einhorn told The Associated Press he'll represent the judge if necessary, adding that "hopefully nothing will happen."

Details of any investigation by the judicial watchdog agency aren't known, as Supreme Court rules allow them to remain confidential. Caretti, however, was the subject of unflattering headlines earlier this year.

In January, his girlfriend Brenda Conway was charged with drunken driving while the judge and his two daughters were in the car. They had been at a wedding reception earlier that night. Conway now faces an Aug. 26 pretrial in the case.

The Macomb Daily reported in June that Caretti agreed to give up parental rights. He was divorced in 2011.

TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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