When Brittany Johnson was appointed to the bench last month, it completed something that hasn’t happened before in the history of Taylor’s 23rd District Court: All three top judicial posts at the courthouse are filled by women.

Johnson has been appointed as the court’s newest judge. Britney Carmona was named as the district court’s magistrate in August 2025. Chief Judge Victoria Shackelford – the first woman ever to hold a judge’s position in Taylor – was first appointed to the bench in September 2021 to fill the vacancy of longtime Judge Geno Salomone, who retired. Shackelford has since won reelection each time.

New Judge Johnson is a former assistant prosecutor for Wayne County. She was named to fill a vacancy created when former Judge Joseph Slaven resigned while under two different investigations for questionable conduct. She was sworn into office by Judge Shackelford on March 14 and started the job on Monday, March 16.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Johnson, and the Michigan Supreme Court confirmed the appointment. Whitmer was quoted as saying:

“… I am proud to appoint Brittany Johnson to the bench. As a skilled legal professional, Brittany brings years of experience to her new role. I am confident she will serve the people of Michigan admirably and uphold the rule of law.”

The appointment fills former Judge Slaven’s current term, which expires on January 1, 2027.

Judge Johnson becomes only the sixth person overall to serve on the court. That list of judges includes Anthony Nicita, the late William Sutherland, Geno Salomone, Slaven and current Chief Judge Victoria Shackelford.

A resident of Taylor, Judge Johnson has been serving as an assistant prosecuting attorney with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office since 2019. She was previously a law clerk in Dearborn and a legislative extern for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.

She also serves as a board member at the Government Bar Association.

She holds a law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law, along with a Master of Social Work from MSU and a Bachelor of Science in psychology and criminal justice from Grand Valley State University.

Magistrate Britney Carmona is a native of Taylor who has worked her way up the legal ladder.

“I went to Wareing Elementary, Hoover Middle School, and then graduated from Truman in 2007,” she said. “I played softball for Taylor Northwest my entire life and was a part of the 2006 team that won the state championship with Jennifer Hall as a coach. My parents were employees of the Taylor School District as school bus drivers and maintenance personnel their entire careers (Rick and Joyce Giraud).”

She is a member of the Taylor Community Library Board, volunteers at the Taylor Conservatory & Botanical Gardens and even has two rescue dogs from the Taylor Animal Shelter, Bulleit and Barley.

She first worked at 23rd District Court as a cashier before going to law school ... and now has completed the circle. In addition to the 23rd District Court, she’s held positions at the 20th (Dearborn Heights) and 44th (Royal Oak) district courts. She also worked for three different law firms and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office before landing back at the 23rd District Court.

Former Judge Slaven’s departure from the bench ends a controversial period in Taylor court history. First elected to the bench in January 2015, he eventually faced charges through the City of Taylor’s Board of Ethics while also facing a lengthy misconduct investigation by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission.

He eventually resigned as the JTC investigation was concluding. Since he resigned days before a tenure commission hearing, the hearing officer assumed the allegations against him were valid and recommended to the Michigan Supreme Court that he be banned from holding any judicial office for six years. As of this printing, that request is pending.

The Taylor Board of Ethics admonished him for specific violations of the law and filed its report with the City Council and the state Attorney General’s Office.