Ninth Judicial Circuit Court
ABOUT THE NINTH CIRCUIT COURT
JURISDICTION OF THE NINTH CIRCUIT COURT
The Ninth Judicial Circuit Court has county-wide jurisdiction for:
- criminal matters in which the potential sentence is incarceration of one year or more
- domestic relations matters
- juvenile matters pertaining to delinquency or criminal activity
- child protective proceedings
- adoptions
- name changes
- emancipations
- general civil actions involving claims of $25,000 or more
- county wide appeals from District Court, Probate Court, administrative agencies of state government and local government boards.
LOCATION OF THE NINTH CIRCUIT COURT
The Circuit Court operates from five buildings in the City of Kalamazoo:
Gull Road Courthouse
1400 Gull Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49048
(269) 385-6000
Family Division:
- child protective proceedings
- domestic proceedings
- juvenile proceedings
- personal protection orders
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Michigan Avenue Courthouse
227 W. Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269) 383-8837
Trial Division:
- appeals from district court, probate court and administrative agencies
- civil proceedings
- criminal proceedings
- Friend of the Court show cause hearings
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Crosstown Center Courthouse
150 E. Crosstown Parkway
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
(269) 383-8666
Family Division Matters:
- adoptions
- ancillary proceedings
- emancipations
- name changes
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Friend of the Court Office
201 W. Kalamazoo Avenue
4th Floor
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269) 384-8200
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Juvenile Home
1424 Gull Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49048
(269) 385-8550
- Detention Services
- Day Treatment Program
- Youth Center School
- Intensive Learning Center
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ORGANIZATION OF THE NINTH CIRCUIT COURT
The seven full-time judges of the Circuit Court (five Circuit judges and two Probate judges serving in the Circuit Court) serve in either the Family Division or the Trial Division. However, the Circuit Court operates under a central assignment system that assigns judges to assist with each other's dockets as needed. If a Family Division judge is unavailable for a scheduled hearing, the proceeding may be transferred to an available Family Division judge or one of the Trial Division judges. Likewise, if a Trial Division judge is unavailable for a scheduled hearing, the proceeding may be transferred to an available Trial Division judge or one of the Family Division judges.
Service units directly support the Family and Trial Divisions:
- Chief Court Clerk/Technology
- Finance
- Drug Courts and Planning
- Friend of the Court
- Juvenile Home
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Chief Judge: Honorable J. Richardson Johnson
Presiding Judge of Family Division: Honorable Stephen D. Gorsalitz
Active Presiding Judge of Trial Division: Honorable J. Richardson Johnson
Circuit Court Administrator: Suzanne M. Darling
Trial Division Administrator/Deputy Court Administrator: DeVona I. Jones
Family Division Administrator: Constance L. Laine
Finance Services Administrator: Susan M. Sayles
Chief Court Clerk/Technology Administrator: Ruth A. Gruizenga
Friend of the Court: K.Nigel Crum
Juvenile Home Administrator: Frank E. Weichlein
If you require special accommodations to use the court because of a disability or if you require
a foreign language interpreter to help you fully participate in court proceedings, please
contact the court to make arrangements.
Interpreter Needed
Family Division (269) 385-6070
Trial Division (269) 383-8842
Disability Accommodations (269) 383-8928
If you have thoughts about how we might make this web site more helpful, please e-mail Sue King
at SKKING@kalcounty.com.
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