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Public Notices
The Court is currently in Phase 4 of Re-opening. In this phase, the Court will continue to provide all court proceedings, probation interviews and other services involving the public via phone, video conferencing, mail or other alternative means to the maximum extent possible.
Effective Monday, August 9, 2021: all court employees and all visitors to the Justice Center will be required to wear face masks and practice a minimum of 3' social distancing.
Alternatives to In-person Services
For assistance, please contact the Traffic/Criminal Division 734.794.6750, option 1, or the Civil Division 734.794.6752, option 4, during normal business hours.
Visit the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) website for the Judicial Branch's response to COVID-19 and for a complete list of Administrative Orders impacting court operations.
Case Evaluation Schedule -September 2021
- Case evaluation dockets scheduled for September 14, September 21 and September 28 will be held via Zoom.
- For future dates: Summaries and checks need to have the correct case number(s) marked upon them. Items can be submitted by drop box, mail or email.
- Email address: [email protected]. One case summary per email. In the subject line include the case number. Please note file size is limited to 25 MB per email. If more than one email per case is necessary, include a note in the subject line, e.g. "email 1 of 2".
- Summaries received after 4:30 PM, whether in-person, by mail or email will be marked received on next business day.
- Any questions regarding this process should be emailed to the ADR Clerk at [email protected].
Civil Provider Cases for Week of September 13-17, 2021
-
IF YOUR GENERAL CIVIL
(PROVIDER) CASE HAS SETTLED PLEASE FAX THE CLERK'S OFFICE AT 734-794-6753.
- All civil proceedings will continue to be conducted via Zoom video conferencing unless parties are notified otherwise by the Court.
- September 13 - Jury Trial: These cases will be held in person. Jury Selection will start at 9 a.m. unless you recieved a notice to apear from the court with a different time.
- September 15 - Motions
for Summary Disposition (MSD): In those cases which the Court has
dispensed with oral argument pursuant to 2.119(E)(3), the Court will
render a written Opinion & Order. In those cases which the Court
will hear oral argument via Zoom, parties will receive a Zoom invitation
via email. Zoom invitations are only sent to the attorney of
record.
- September 15 - Cases set for Status Conference at 1:30 p.m. where the damages are
less than $5,000.00 will be scheduled for Final Pretrial and parties will
receive a Final Pretrial Order by mail. Cases set for Status Conference at 1:30 p.m. where the damages are
$5,000.00 or greater will be referred to Case Evaluation and parties will
receive an Order for Case Evaluation by mail. No appearance required.
- September 15 - Motions, other than motions for summary disposition, will be held via
Zoom. Parties will receive a Zoom invitation via email. Zoom invitations are only sent to the
attorney of record. Please note
motions will be heard at 1:30 p.m.
- September 15 - All cases set for Final Pretrial at 2 p.m. will be scheduled by the Court for Final Settlement Conference and Jury Trial or Bench Trial, if there was no jury demand. Parties will receive these dates by mail. No appearance required.
- September 15 - Cases set
for Entry of Order at 3 p.m. will be dismissed by the Court if an order
closing the case has not been received by this date. No appearance is required.
- September 17- Final Settlement Conferences at 10 a.m. will be held via Zoom. Parties will receive a Zoom invitation via email. Zoom invitations are only sent to the attorney of record.
- Livestream
video is available on the Court's YouTube channel.
-
Stay updated
by subscribing to the Court's Twitter Account, @15thAnn.
Criminal Misdemeanor Schedule
The Court has the ability to conduct hearings via Zoom technology. If you would like to have a Zoom hearing, see the "Court Appearances via Zoom" section below for contact information.
State Pretrial Dockets
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Perry may request a hearing via Zoom on: September 15 and September 29.
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Valvo may request a hearing via Zoom on: September 7 and September 20.
City Pretrial dockets
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Valvo may request a hearing via Zoom on: September 15.
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Perry may request a hearing via Zoom on: September 10 and September 20.
Domestic Violence dockets
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Perry may request a hearing via Zoom on: September 8 and September 22.
Additional dates may be given for emergency hearings as needed.
Landlord-Tenant Schedule beginning July 7, 2020
Landlord-Tenant dockets are held every Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. Parties may request to participate via Zoom.
Any questions regarding this process should be emailed to the Landlord-Tenant Clerk at [email protected]. Do not sumbit pleadings to this email address unless directed to do so by the Court.
Small Claims Mediation
Small claims cases will be scheduled for online mediation through the Washtenaw County Dispute Resolution Center (DRC). Notices will be mailed along with the information sheet for the online platform, MI-Resolve (text format) or Zoom mediation, that the parties have been assigned to use.
DRC Mediation Information Sheet
Court Appearances via Zoom
Parties who wish to participate in their hearings via Zoom should email the contact person for their assigned Judge at least 24 hours in advance during normal business hours in order to schedule a Zoom hearing. Parties will receive an email from the Court containing a link to the Zoom hearing.
Virtual Appearance Information Sheet
During the COVID-19 state of emergency, the 15th District Court is, where possible, conducting hearings remotely, using Zoom videoconferencing. While limitations on public access to the courthouse are in effect, the Court will make hearings accessible to the public by livestreaming all Court hearings ultilizing YouTube, except those cases made non-public by law. You may access the Courts' proceedings by follwing these links:
Magistrate Garwood
Judge Burke
Judge Valvo
Judge Perry
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 Joseph F. Burke, the Honorable Miriam A. Perry 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 $6,500 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 successfully 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 Accommodations or Foreign Language Interpreters
Please contact the court prior to your visit if you will need an ADA accommodation 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
[email protected].
For information regarding disability resources, including parking, please visit the
City of Ann Arbor Streets, Buildings, and Parking web page.
