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31st Circuit Court, Michigan

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TheMichigan 31st Circuit Court resides inMichigan. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...

Jurisdiction

This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]

“The circuit court is referred to as the trial court of general jurisdiction in Michigan because of its very broad powers. Circuit court has jurisdiction over all actions except those given by state law to another court. Generally speaking, circuit court has original jurisdiction in all civil cases involving more than $25,000; in all criminal cases where the offense involves a felony or certain serious misdemeanors; and in all family cases and domestic relations cases such as divorce, paternity actions, juvenile proceedings, and adoptions.[2]”

Selection method

See also:Judicial selection in the states
See also:Nonpartisan election of judges

The221 judges of theMichigan Circuit Courts are selected in an identical manner, each serving six-year terms. They are chosen innonpartisan elections and must face re-election if they wish to continue serving. Candidates are placed on the ballot via nonpartisan primaries or by nominating petitions.[3] Sitting judges who reach age 70 are allowed to serve out the remainder of their term.[4]

Selection of the chief judge

Thechief judges of the circuit courts are appointed by the state supreme court to two-year terms.[3]

Qualifications
To be elected to either of these courts, a judge must:[3]

  • be a qualified elector of his or her district;
  • be licensed to practice law in the state;
  • have at least five years of law practice experience; and
  • be under the age of 70.

Judicial elections in Michigan

See also:Michigan judicial elections

Michigan is one of 10 states that usesnonpartisan elections to select judges and does not useretention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country,click here.

Primary election

If there are more than twice the number of candidates than there are judgeships up for election, the race will appear on the primary election ballot. In the nonpartisan primary, the two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes advance to the general election.

General election

If there arenot more than twice the amount of candidates than there are persons to be elected, the race will not appear on the primary election ballot, but only on the general election ballot.[5]

Ties

If two or more candidates in a race receive the same number of votes, the election is to be decided by lot. In a process run by a county clerk, the candidates choose slips of paper from a box that say either "elected" or "not elected".[6]

See also

External links

Footnotes


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