Mallett served as a Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court from December 21, 1990, to January 2, 1999, acting as chief justice in 1997 and 1998.[3][4][5] Mallett was the first African American to serve as chief justice on the Michigan Supreme Court.[6]
Mallet was appointed deputy mayor of Detroit in May 2020. He assumed the office on May 25, 2020.[7] He was involved with leading the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
Mallett was named corporation counsel for the City of Detroit in 2022.[10] After he had been first nominated, members of the Detroit City Council expressed concerns about Mallett and his nomination was initially withdrawn. After a search produced no alternate candidate for the position, he was renominated. After several months of divided debate about his nomination, his appointment was confirmed on April 26, 2022.[10]
Suppression of police officer discipline records
Following Mallett's appointment as Detroit's corporation counsel, the city began redacting police officers' disciplinary records requested under the Freedom of Information Act. Previously, the city had disclosed officer discipline files in full. As corporation counsel, Mallett heads the city's law department, which processes FOIA requests.[11]
Ross Jones, an investigative reporter with WXYZ, reported that the city denies FOIA requests for officer discipline records by citing the Bullard-Plawecki Employee Right to Know Act, saying that the act prohibits the release of discipline records older than four years. However, attorneys questioned the city's policy, noting that the Right-to-Know Act itself states that it "shall not be construed to diminish a right of access to records" provided under FOIA.[11][12]
Mallett defended the city's policy in an interview with WXYZ. The policy was criticized by longtime Detroit police commissioner Willie Bell, activist Tristan Taylor, and multiple employment law attorneys. WXYZ has appealed the city's decision to redact records that its newsroom had requested.[12]
_(1).jpg)