Once the police department has been determined, the prosecutor is identified, and you know which courthouse to go to, now comes the next question: who will be my judge? In Washtenaw County, there are four different categories of judges.
The first category is the Circuit Court judges who are elected County wide, but could handle all different types of matters, such as domestic, civil, business and criminal law cases. The role of these judges vary by year, and roles can be changed due to the changing needs of the court. As of the Summer of 2015, the current judges at the 22nd Circuit Court who are handling criminal cases are the following:
This list will change in the future, but as of the publication of this book, if you are charged with a felony, you will have one of these four judges assigned to your case. As discussed earlier, if you’re charged with a felony, you will not see this judge immediately. All felonies in the county are first handled at the 14A-1 Court in Pittsfield Township for Arraignments. Preliminary Examination Conference and Preliminary Examination (more on this later). If your case is bound over to the Circuit Court, you will then appear in front of one of these four judges.
The second category of judges are the Ann Arbor 15th District Court judges. These judges handle all criminal misdemeanor cases in Ann Arbor along with participating as rotating judges for the 14A-1 preliminary matters for felonies. A lot of cases in Ann Arbor actually begin with the magistrate, and not the Ann Arbor judges, but with an attorney, you would be able to skip the magistrate level. The current judges in Ann Arbor as of the publication of this book are the following:
The third category of judges is the 14A court system, which has four different courthouses located in Pittsfield Township, City of Ypsilanti, Chelsea and Saline. These judges rotate frequently, but have been pretty stable over the years: The current judges as of this publication are the following:
- The Honorable Kirk W. Tabbey
- The Honorable Richard E. Conlin
- The Honorable Cedric Simpson
As of this publication, Judge Tabbey handles the 14A-2 District Court dockets, Judge Conlin handles the 14A-1 and 14A-3 dockets, and Judge Simpson handles the 14A-4 dockets. All three judges also rotate within the 14A-1 Preliminary Examination felony system.
The final category is the 14B Charter Township of Ypsilanti court, which is currently handled by Judge Charles Pope who is the elected judge who handles all misdemeanor cases. Arraignments and some other traffic and civil matters are handled by Magistrate Mark W. Nelson. This court should not be confused with the 14A-2 Court, which handles City of Ypsilanti cases, which is a completely different courthouse.
The first category is the Circuit Court judges who are elected County wide, but could handle all different types of matters, such as domestic, civil, business and criminal law cases. The role of these judges vary by year, and roles can be changed due to the changing needs of the court. As of the Summer of 2015, the current judges at the 22nd Circuit Court who are handling criminal cases are the following:
- Honorable Archie C. Brown
- Honorable Carol Kuhnke
- Honorable Darlene A. O’Brien
- Honorable David S. Swartz
This list will change in the future, but as of the publication of this book, if you are charged with a felony, you will have one of these four judges assigned to your case. As discussed earlier, if you’re charged with a felony, you will not see this judge immediately. All felonies in the county are first handled at the 14A-1 Court in Pittsfield Township for Arraignments. Preliminary Examination Conference and Preliminary Examination (more on this later). If your case is bound over to the Circuit Court, you will then appear in front of one of these four judges.
The second category of judges are the Ann Arbor 15th District Court judges. These judges handle all criminal misdemeanor cases in Ann Arbor along with participating as rotating judges for the 14A-1 preliminary matters for felonies. A lot of cases in Ann Arbor actually begin with the magistrate, and not the Ann Arbor judges, but with an attorney, you would be able to skip the magistrate level. The current judges in Ann Arbor as of the publication of this book are the following:
- The Honorable Elizabeth Pollard Hines
- The Honorable Karen Valvo
- The Honorable Joseph F. Burke
The third category of judges is the 14A court system, which has four different courthouses located in Pittsfield Township, City of Ypsilanti, Chelsea and Saline. These judges rotate frequently, but have been pretty stable over the years: The current judges as of this publication are the following:
- The Honorable Kirk W. Tabbey
- The Honorable Richard E. Conlin
- The Honorable Cedric Simpson
As of this publication, Judge Tabbey handles the 14A-2 District Court dockets, Judge Conlin handles the 14A-1 and 14A-3 dockets, and Judge Simpson handles the 14A-4 dockets. All three judges also rotate within the 14A-1 Preliminary Examination felony system.
The final category is the 14B Charter Township of Ypsilanti court, which is currently handled by Judge Charles Pope who is the elected judge who handles all misdemeanor cases. Arraignments and some other traffic and civil matters are handled by Magistrate Mark W. Nelson. This court should not be confused with the 14A-2 Court, which handles City of Ypsilanti cases, which is a completely different courthouse.
