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Public Notices
Due to the State of Emergency and public
health concerns regarding the COVID-19 virus, the Court is closed to the Public, except for essential services, until Tuesday, April 14, 2020.
Statement of the Chief Judges of Washtenaw County
Court Procedures During Declared Emergency
Evictions Suspended by Governor's Executive Order 2020-19
The Governor's Order is consistent with the moratorium on evictions previously put in place by the 15th District Court, and some other courts, due to the pandemic emergency for many of the serious health issues noted within the Order.
Administrative Order 2020-05 Extending Administrative Orders 2020-01 adn 2020-02 until April 14, 2020 Issued by Michigan Supreme Court
Administrative Order 2020-03 Extending Deadlines for Commencement of Actions Issued by Michigan Supreme Court
Administrative Order 2020-02 Limiting Activities/Assemblages in Court Facilities Issued by Michigan Supreme Court
Administrative Order 2020-01 In Re Emgency Procedures in Court Facilities Issued by Michigan Supreme Court
- Please Note – Pursuant to our Emergency LAO, during our closure, the boxes in the Justice Center lobby are for emergency matters only. Anything else may be discarded. Cover letters on emergency matters must clearly state the reason(s) for the emergency request.
- All case evaluation dockets scheduled for the month of April are cancelled. Case evaluation will not be reset for these cases. All future scheduled dates for these cases, such as final pretrial dates, will remain as scheduled.
- The April 8 and April 22, 2020 small claims mediation dockets are cancelled. All cases will be rescheduled by the Court for small claims mediation at a later date. Notices will be mailed.
- Hearings on landlord-tenant matters previously filed and served are currently expected to resume on April 21, 2020. Hearings on new landlord-tenant filings, if feasible, will resume on April 28, 2020.
- Jury Selections have been cancelled through the end of April 2020. No jurors will be called in. All cases set for jury trial during the jury periods affected will be rescheduled by the Court for jury trial at a later date. Notices will be mailed.
Civil Schedule for the week of March 30 - April 3, 2020
- The Justice center will remain closed. No hearings.
- IF YOUR GENERAL CIVIL (PROVIDER) CASE HAS SETTLED PLEASE EMAIL JUDICIAL COORDINATOR ASHLEY JACKSON (AJackson@a2gov.org) so we do not re-schedule needlessly.
- April 1, 2020 – General Civil (Provider) Pretrial/Motion docket – All Status conferences will be referred for Case Evaluation and scheduled for Final Pretrial. You will receive dates by mail.
- Final Pretrial following unresolved Case Evaluation will be set for Final Settlement Conference and Jury Trial. You will receive dates by mail.
- Motions – The Court is equipped to handle motions by ZOOM teleconference If a party wishes to take advantage of this, you must contact Judicial Coordinator Ashley Jackson (AJackson@a2gov.org) by email so that you can receive an email invitation to participate virtually.
- April 3, 2020 –Oral argument for MSDs scheduled for April 3, 2020 is cancelled. Cases which the Court deems oral argument is unnecessary will be decided by the Court with a written Opinion/Order mailed to the parties.
COVID-19 Information and updates from the Washtenaw County Health Department can be found online at: https://www.washtenaw.org/3095/COVID-19.
About the Court:
The 15th Judicial District Court is located in downtown Ann Arbor in the Ann Arbor Justice Center. The court is presided over by three judges; the Honorable Elizabeth Hines, the Honorable Joseph F. Burke and the Honorable Karen Quinlan Valvo, as well as one appointed magistrate, the Honorable Tamara Garwood. Daily court operations are overseen by Court Administrator Shryl Samborn.
The court is comprised of four divisions: Administration, Civil, Traffic/Criminal, and Probation. Administration is responsible for the administrative management of all non-judicial functions of the Court. The Civil Division maintains the court files for general civil, landlord-tenant, and small claims cases. The Traffic/Criminal Division maintains the records for all traffic and criminal misdemeanors, civil infractions, ordinance violations, and University of Michigan Regents violations. The Probation Department is responsible for pre-sentence investigations, alcohol assessments, supervision, counseling, and referrals to outside assessment and treatment programs for those who are placed on probation.
The 15th Judicial District Court has jurisdiction over cases which include but are not limited to:
- Civil Cases where the disputed amount is $25,000 or less
- Small Claims cases where the disputed amount is $6,000 or less
- Landlord/Tenant disputes
- Criminal & Traffic Misdemeanors punishable by 1 year or less in jail
- Arrest Warrant &Search Warrant Issuance
- Ann Arbor City Ordinance Violations
- Traffic & State Civil Infractions
- University of Michigan Regents Ordinance Violations
- Felony Probable Cause Conferences & Preliminary Exams
Notice to Visitors
If you will be visiting the court, please note that all visitors to the Ann Arbor Justice Center must sucessfully pass through the security screening process to enter. All visitors and their belongings are subject to search by Court Security Officers. All visitors are required to pass through metal detectors. All purses, briefcases, or other containers are required to pass through an x-ray machine. The following items are prohibited:
- Weapons, e.g cutting edge instruments such as pocket knives
- Any other items that may be construed as weapons by Court Security Officers
- Food & Beverages
Please do not bring any prohibited items with you into the courthouse; leave them at home or in your vehicle.
Requests for ADA Accomodations or Foreign Language Interpreters
Please contact the court prior to your visit if you will need an ADA accomodation or a Foreign Language Interpreter. Request forms are located the court's Forms web page in the Miscellaneous section. Additional information can be found on the Local Administrative Orders web page. Questions should be directed to Court Administrator Shryl Samborn at 734.794.6757 or
slsamborn@a2gov.org.
For information regarding disability resources, including parking, please visit the
City of Ann Arbor Streets, Buildings, and Parking web page.
