9DP
9TH DISTRICT POLLKalamazoo County, Michigan

About 9th District Poll

9th District Poll is a civic transparency project. Our job is to lay out, top to bottom, how Kalamazoo County's 9th judicial district actually works. Who runs it. Who answers to whom. Who is on the November ballot. The goal is for residents to engage with their courts as informed citizens.

What we cover

  • 9th Circuit Court. Seven judges. Felonies, family law, and civil cases over $25,000.
  • Probate Court.Two judges with a primary probate assignment. Handles estates, guardianships, and mental health. The civil docket merged with the Circuit Court's Civil/Probate Division in January 2025.
  • 8th District Court. Six judges. Misdemeanors, civil under $25,000, traffic, and landlord-tenant.
  • County Clerk / Register of Deeds. Custodian of the court records, the elections office, and the deed registry.

Who we don't cover

Friend of the Court directors, magistrates, referees, and court administrators are appointed, not elected. They're part of the system but they don't answer to voters, so they fall outside this project's scope.

Press & Public Record

Each profile lists only what we can source: published press coverage, on-the-record endorsements, and on-the-record criticisms with attribution. We do not assign approval scores, sentiment ratings, or composite indexes. If a claim isn't cited, it's not on the page.

Sources we use

Roster and structural data come from the Kalamazoo County government website (kalcounty.gov), Michigan Secretary of State campaign-finance records, Ballotpedia, and Michigan Court System administrative orders. Press mentions are sourced from MLive, WWMT, FOX 17, and the Kalamazoo Transparency Act publications, among others. Send corrections or sourced additions via the contact page.

Disclaimer

This website is not affiliated with any government entity, political party, or candidate. All published content concerns matters of public interest and is protected by the First Amendment, Article I of the Michigan Constitution, and the Michigan Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (Public Act 52 of 2025).