Bill Richards has served as District Judge for Southfield, Lathrup Village, Beverly Hills, Franklin and Bingham Farms for over three years.  In 2007, Governor Granholm appointed him to the bench to replace Judge Stephen Cooper.  In 2008, voters elected him to continue in office for the rest of Judge Cooper’s term.  In 2010, Judge Richards is running for re-election to a full six-year term.  

Judge Richards is a longtime local resident with a distinguished career in government, teaching, and private practice. As Senior Policy Advisor for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, he was responsible for environmental policy and legal issues.  He is the former Deputy Attorney General, the principal deputy to Attorney General Jennifer Granholm (1999-2002).  As an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1989 to1998, he prosecuted public corruption and drug crimes. In the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he also served as ethics officer for nine years.  Earlier, he was a staff attorney for the Federal Defender Office and law clerk to U.S. District Judge Cornelia Kennedy.  

Judge Richards teaches advanced criminal procedure at Cooley Law School. He is the former President of Oakland –Livingston Legal Aid, where he helped provide free legal aid to the poor and seniors. Judge Richards is a member and Corresponding Secretary of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force.  He has served as a judge in the National Black Law Students Association Frederick Douglass Moot Court competition. He serves as a mentor in the Volunteers in Prevention –VIP—program for youth. He is the President–elect of the Oakland County District Judges Association and serves on the Board for the Southfield Centers for Youth, which operates the ‘field Zone. He is a member of First Congregational Church.

Bill Richards earned both his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Michigan. Bill and his wife Joan have been married for 41 years, and have two daughters, Jennifer and Kristin.