Berrien County Trial Court, Michigan

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Trial court

Berrien County Trial Court, Michigan

The Berrien County Trial Court has jurisdiction in Berrien County, Michigan. The court differs in organization from other circuit and district courts in Michigan in that "the Michigan Supreme Court has designated the Berrien County Courts as a consolidation site for the merger of the district court, probate court and circuit court into a single trial court."

Judges

Civil division

• Dennis M. Wiley (Presiding judge)
• Donna Bacolor Howard

Criminal division

• Gary J. Bruce (Presiding judge)
• Arthur Cotter
• Gordon Hosbein
• Charles LaSata
• Angela Pasula (Chief judge pro tempore))
• Sterling R. Schrock

Family division

• Mabel Johnson Mayfield (Chief judge)
• Brian Berger (Presiding judge)
• Jennifer Smith

Former judges

• John Dewane
• John Donahue
• Thomas E. Nelson
• Scott Schofield

See also

• Michigan Circuit Courts
• Michigan District Courts
• Michigan counties

External links

• Berrien County, "Criminal Division Judges"
• Berrien County, "Civil Division Judges"
• Berrien County, "Family Division Judges"
• Michigan Courts, "Berrien County"

Michigan courts

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Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan

State courts:

Michigan Supreme Court • Michigan Court of Appeals • Michigan Circuit Court • Michigan Court of Claims • Michigan District Courts • Michigan Municipal Courts • Michigan Probate Courts

State resources:

Courts in Michigan • Michigan judicial elections • Judicial selection in Michigan

Elections

See also: Michigan judicial elections

Michigan is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Michigan, click here.

• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2025
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2024
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2023
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2022
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2021
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2020
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2019
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2018
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2017
• Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2016
• Michigan judicial elections, 2014
• Michigan judicial elections, 2012
• Michigan judicial elections, 2010

Selection method

See also: Nonpartisan election of judges

Judges of the Michigan District Courts are each elected to six-year terms. The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a qualified elector of the district, licensed to practice law in the state, under the age of 70, and have five years of experience practicing law.

Election rules

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 are not 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.

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".