Michigan State Courts

Michigan’s judicial system is made up of federal district courts, of which there are two, and a number of both trial and appellate courts. The trial courts can have either general jurisdiction or limited, subject-matter jurisdiction. Many trial courts feed into the appeal and supreme courts of Michigan.

Michigan’s two federal courts are:

• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
• United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

These are the points of origin for many federal cases and appeals go to the 6th district.

As well as trial courts, there are two specific bankruptcy courts within the state. These courts have jurisdiction over just bankruptcy-related trials and cases.

• United States bankruptcy court, Eastern District of Michigan
• United States bankruptcy court, Western District of Michigan

Other subject-matter courts include the Probate Courts that exist in Michigan, of which there are 78. 

There are also a few remaining Municipal courts. Many of these have converted to district courts, but four retain Municipal Courts to keep power over specific regions and municipalities.

A Court of Claims exists to hear any cases against the state. Issues such as constitutional claims, unfair taxation and even some medical malpractice goes through this court.

Circuit Courts are trial courts which handle a huge amount of cases within Michigan. Civil cases and felonies where the claims amount to more than $25,000 in monetary value can be dealt with here, along with name changes, divorces, adoptions and other issues some other states would assign to family courts.

The District Courts have limited jurisdiction. There are 105 different courts of this type spread throughout the state. These deal with litigations under the dollar value of $25,000 and often “small claims” with under $3,000 of monetary claims. Smaller violations and misdemeanors might be referred to district courts, too.

https://www.michigan.gov/

Court Name:	Michigan Supreme Court
Address:	Michigan Hall of Justice 925 W. Ottawa Street Lansing, MI 48915
Phone:	(517) 373-0120
Website URL:	https://courts.michigan.gov/courts/michigansupremecourt/pages/default.aspx

Intermediate and Supreme Courts

The intermediate courts include the Michigan Court of Appeals. Many of the cases that come through the district courts can be escalated to this court, though it is not the court of last resort.

The Michigan Supreme Court serves this purpose, and as well as having the power to review all Michigan Court decisions, they may hear certain misconduct cases from the judicial system. The court also has power over other state courts and regulating the judicial industry.

Types of Courts in Michigan

How to Find Michigan Court Records Online

You can use our records search to find a huge amount of court records from the state of Michigan. The public access to these is protected under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, meaning the courts have a duty to be transparent with the citizens of their state. Trial and sentencing details among other court records can easily be accessed.

Michigan Counties