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Public Notices
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 - December 2021
- Case evaluation dockets scheduled for December 7 and December 14 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 November 29-December 3, 2021
- IF YOUR GENERAL CIVIL 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.
- December 1 - Motions
for Summary Disposition (MSD): In those cases in 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 in which the Court will hear oral argument via Zoom, parties will receive a Zoom invitation. Zoom invitations are only sent to the attorney of record.
- December 1 - 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.
- December 1 - 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.
- December 1 - 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.
- December 1 - 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 required.
- December 2 - Bench Trial at 9 a.m. Parties will receive a Zoom invitation via email. Zoom invitations are only sent to the attorney of record.
- December 3 -
Final Settlement Conferences at 10 a.m. will be held via Zoom. Parties willl be sent a Zoom invitation via email. Zoom inviations 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 December 8 and December 20.
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Valvo may request a hearing via Zoom December 16.
City Pretrial dockets
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Valvo may request a hearing via Zoom on December 6 and December 20.
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Perry may request a hearing via Zoom December 3, December 17 and December 27.
Domestic Violence dockets
Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Perry may request a hearing via Zoom on December 1, December 15 and December 28.
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.
