LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Judge Rosemarie Aquilina wants the Ingham County prosecutor out of office over what she said are plea deals that put the community at risk.

During a court hearing surrounding a double murder, Judge Aquilina said she changed the sentencing from the 30 to 50 years recommended by the county Prosecutor Carol Siemon to a sentence of 70 to 100 years in prison.

Judge Aquilina said that since Prosecutor Siemon has been elected, she has been seeing plea deals that carry lighter-than-expected punishments.

The circuit court judge said the deals are leaving communities unsafe and they do not take into account the people who come into her courtroom with a history of offenses.

“She is offering a deal. Because she doesn’t believe in life offenses. She is not a legislator, she is not a judge. And she is making our community unsafe. If someone has an offense that should be charged as a life offense, it should be done in accordance with the law. And if she wants to change the law she should run for the legislature,” said Judge Aquilina.

In a statement from Prosecutor Siemon, she said Judge Aquilina has a right to her own opinion and has used her bench before to make those opinions heard. Siemon said her focus is on the victims and their families.

She later said that her “Responsibility is to do my best to hold people responsible for the harm they cause others while also ensuring that the criminal legal system is fair, ethical, and just.”

“When I do accept a deal, I sentence higher and then I allow defendants to withdraw it. And there are a few cases where I say “I’m not accepting this deal” and I walk away,” said Aquilina.

The judge is not the only public official to speak out against the prosecutor’s policies. In 2021, Siemon released a policy that would no longer issue a 2-year felony firearm charge unless extreme circumstances are met in a case. Back then, Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wigglesworth called the policy “garbage.”

Judge Aquilina says she understands Siemon has supporters but said she needs to follow the law and that victim families and the public need to hold the prosecutor accountable as well.

You can read Prosecutor Siemon’s full statement below.

The judge has a right to her own personal opinions and she has chosen to use the bench frequently for her own agenda and to personally attack me. I choose to not do the same. My heart has always been with the victims and their loved ones.  As the elected prosecutor, I have a responsibility for making the tough calls and I stand by all of the work that I’ve done. For the past six-plus years I have reported out to the public on this work, including our reforms to sentencing and charging practices.  My responsibility is to do my best to hold people responsible for the harm they cause others while also ensuring that the criminal legal system is fair, ethical, and just.

Carol Siemen.