By Jennifer Champagne
Beacon Correspondent
The Alger County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a writ of superintending control to disqualify Circuit Judge Brian Rahilly from all criminal cases in the county, citing alleged impropriety and bias against law enforcement and attorneys, according to a news release from the prosecutor’s office.
The filing follows similar action in Mackinac County and centers on a series of text messages exchanged between Rahilly and W. Clayton Graham, a probate judge in Luce and Mackinac counties. The messages, extracted from Graham’s phone during an ongoing investigation, allegedly show Rahilly disparaging prosecutors and law enforcement and attempting to manipulate trial scheduling to pressure plea deals.
“It has come to my attention that as part of an ongoing investigation in Mackinac County, text messages and images sent by Judge Rahilly to the suspect appeared to show Judge Rahilly intentionally and improperly forced settlements to criminal cases in Alger County, as well as a disdain for law enforcement, the criminal process, and certain attorneys,” Alger County Prosecutor Robert T. Steinhoff said. “After reviewing the text messages, I took immediate action to ensure the integrity of the criminal justice system in our county. I am extremely disappointed in the tenor of those messages, especially those that seem to disparage the efforts of law enforcement, and felt as if I had no other choice given the evidence presented.”
One cited exchange from 2022 suggests Rahilly scheduled a felony trial just two weeks before a major murder case in order to force a settlement. Other messages appear to mock case selections and criticize “local attorneys” and police as “wasting my time.”
Circuit court dockets in both Alger and Mackinac counties have been canceled this week. Hearings on the disqualification motions have not yet been scheduled.
Steinhoff was appointed prosecutor in 2019 and was elected in 2020 and 2024.
The Munising Beacon is attempting to reach Rahilly for his response to Steinhoff’s action.
