None of the communications were ever intended to influence or provide advice nor did they. 100 largest cities in America by population, United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, Michigan Fifty-seventh Judicial District Court, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2023, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2022, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2021, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2020, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2019, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2018, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2017, Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2016, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Allegan_County,_Michigan_(Judicial)&oldid=7667650, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. On Jan. 1, the Michigan Supreme Court announced Judge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. Kengis will continue as Prosecuting Attorney until March 19 when he starts his role as a Circuit Judge, a position he was appointed to by Governor Rick Snyder. "The recommendation was timely as Chief Judge Kengis advises the number of potential jury trials awaiting scheduling is over one hundred. It was after his arrest in November 2019 for Doyle's murder that he began asking to speak to detectives about the circumstances of Aundria'sdeath. If there are more than twice the number of candidates than there are judgeships up for election, the race will appear on the primary election ballot. Kengis replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker who had been elected to the circuit court in 2010. In 2020, Kengis was elected to the circuit court. Judge Bakker says, "Myrene has demonstrated an outstanding ability to represent the peoples interests in criminal prosecutions before this Court and as Chief Assistant has demonstrated strong administrative abilities that will serve her and the County of Allegan well as Prosecutor.. In the emails, Bakker wrote to Koch: "This trooper didnt do a very good investigation. The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan has jurisdiction in Allegan County. Field had been a popular instructor at the college before his dismissal. Jennifer Garcia. Kengis and Bakker have worked closely together over the years when making final decisions on a variety of issues. He said Field will be given the opportunity to withdraw his plea if Kengis decides to sentence him to more than a year in jail or change any other terms of the agreement. Gov. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Roberts Kengis was asked to disqualify himself from the case and agreed to do so in a hearing Thursday. In a process run by a county clerk, the candidates choose slips of paper from a box that say either "elected" or "not elected".[2]. The jury was thereby improperly influenced.. Contact Info (269) 673-8471 Questions & Answers Q What is the phone number for Judiciary Courts of the Stt? Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below. The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. The emails between Koch and Judge Margaret Bakker showed the two discussing the case while Loew's trial was occurring in Bakker's courtroom. Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. .courts-container hr {background-color:#f0a236;padding-bottom:2px;}, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Michigan Supreme Court The same date Kengis starts as a Circuit Judge. As the presiding officer of the court, a chief judge shall: (a) call and preside over meetings of the court; (b) appoint committees of the court; (c) initiate policies concerning the courts internal operations and its position on external matters affecting the court; (d) meet regularly with all chief judges.. On Jan. 1, theMichigan Supreme Court announcedJudge Roberts Kengis would replace Bakker in supervising the 48th Circuit Court. The investigation of Field began earlier that summer after the victim told college officials about Fields actions against her. This collaboration will continue as Bakker supported Kengis decision to apply for the leadership position. She said the counseling took place there and the sexual relations at Fields home next door to the center. Bakker, who remains on the 48th Circuit Court bench, became Allegan County's first female circuit court judge when she won election to the position in 2010. Judges Elections Allegan County, Michigan Circuit Court 48th Circuit Court, Michigan Margaret Bakker (Chief judge) Kevin W. Cronin [1] District Court Michigan Fifty-seventh Judicial District Court William Baillargeon (Chief judge) Joseph S. Skocelas [2] Probate Court Allegan County Probate Court, Michigan Michael L. Buck [3] See also COURTS _____ Pursuant to MCR 7.201, IT IS ORDERED that the Honorable Elizabeth L. Gleicher is appointed as chief judge of the Court of Appealsfor the two year period - commencing . Subscribe:Receive 3 months of all-access to The Sentinel's award-winning digital coverage for $1. All Rights Reserved. Kengis was appointed to the circuit court judgeship in March 2018 by then-governor Rick Snyder after the resignation of Judge Kevin Cronin. The appointment was made by the Michigan Supreme Court after reviewing applications completed by the candidates. 57th District Court Honorable Joseph S . They claim that Loew did not receive a fair trial. The Michigan Supreme Court votes on the appointment of chief judges for Michigan courts every two years. Allegan County Sheriff's Office Sheriff. George Field, 60, of Dowagiac, had been scheduled to face trial starting Monday in Cass County Circuit Court on 17 criminal sexual conduct, insurance fraud and perjury charges. Assistant Allegan County Prosecutor Emily Jipp called a state police trooper as her second witness. After the emails were discovered, Villar saidhe filed complaints against Koch and Bakker with the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission and Attorney Grievance Commission, respectively. The Michigan Supreme Court is providing the information on this website as a public service. Penny Brown . Redistricting Maps Take Affect for 2022 Elections. He was elected to a six-year term in 2020. This county is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. Briefs in the case are expected to be filed within the coming months, at which point oral arguments will be scheduled. Message to the Board of Commissioners, Prosecutor Koch, Judge Kengis, Judge Bakker, Sheriff Baker and the people who witness unconstitutional and corrupt actions in Allegan County and do nothing.. He was sentenced last November to at least 20 years in prison. All rights reserved. Judge Kengis noted that Field will be sentenced before him on Friday, Sept. 10 in Cass County Circuit Court at 8:30 a.m. Myrene Koch will replace Robert Kengis as Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney on March 19. ALLEGAN Judge Roberts Kengis took over supervision of the 48th Circuit Court on Jan. 1 as chief judge after he was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to replace Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker in the role. "We think the court wants to hear and have robust conversations on these issues. 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. Neither side objected in court to Kengis'decision to recuse himself. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The emails from Judge Bakker were an editorial expressing discontent with the case and as inquiry as to the breakdown in police and procedure that compromised the investigation, Schikora wrote in court documents. "Since Judge Kengis was appointed, Judge Bakker and Judge Kengis have worked together on chief duties, and the two plan on continuing this practice moving forward," Brink wrote in an email. Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. The Michigan Supreme Court made their current appointments to the courts across the state. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. In Wednesday's announcement, the state Supreme Court said it would hear the appeal, but would limit the scope to the ex parte communications between Bakker and Koch, whether they were administrative in nature and whether Loew is entitled to a new trial. Aundria Bowman's body was discovered buried on the Bowmanproperty in Hamilton in February 2020, after Dennis Bowman confessed the location of her body to his wife. The Allegan County decisions included the new appointment of the Honorable Roberts A. Kengis as chief justice of the 48 th Circuit Court, and the chief judge reappointment of the Honorable Michael L. Buck to the Allegan County Probate Court and the Honorable Joseph S. Skocelas to the 57 th District Court. The chief judge holds "administrative superintending power and control over the judges of the court and all court personnel, including the friend of the court," according to Michigan Court Rule, managing staffing, caseload, court finances, making county clerk and prosecutor's office appointments and managing assignment and reassignment of cases. Justices Christopher Murray and Jane Markey were in the majority, saying the emails didnt provide an advantage to the prosecution. Copyright 2023, Wilcox Newspapers. County Clerk, Judge, or Other Info: Staff: George R. Corsiglia (Chief Judge), William A. Baillargeon Hours: Open Weekdays 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Additional: Frederick Anderson (Prosecuting Attorney), Margaret Zuzich Bakker (Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney); Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys: Douglas E. Ketchum, Roberts A. Kengis, Steven J. Lanting, Myrene K. Koch, Daniel Norbeck, Judy H She became a judge on Jan. 1, 2010. In a hearing Thursday, Judge Roberts Kengis alerted the attorneys tohis history with the case. Allegan County Circuit Court Judge. Roberts Kengis Circuit Court Judge at Allegan County Government Plainwell, Michigan, United States 781 followers 500+ connections Join to connect Allegan County Government Wayne State. Bowman, 72, is charged with her murder. In August 2019, Loew was convicted by a jury of multiple rapes of a relative of his wife, a girl who was 13 at the time of the first assault. Myrene Koch will replace Robert Kengis as Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney on March 19. Bowman is already serving a life sentence for a murder he committed in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1980, where he had reported for his two-week annual active drill as a member of the Navy reserves. Judge Kengis relied on the testimony from the 2018 preliminary hearing in the case for his findings of fact in accepting Fields plea. Allegan County will soon have a new Prosecuting Attorney. The defense said the emails show misconduct. Bakker, who remains on the bench, served in the role for 11. Example video title will go here for this video. According to testimony from detectives, Bowman claimsthat he and Aundria physically fought and Aundria fell down the stairs, breaking herneck. ALLEGAN Should a criminal defendant in Allegan County get a new trial after claiming he didn't get a fair shake? A more recent docket listing may be available from PACER . Its one of the most outrageous things Ive seen in my career, defense attorney Heath Lynch, a former federal prosecutor in Grand Rapids, told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. The Michigan Supreme Court votes on the appointment of chief judges for Michigan courts every two years after "an extensive review process," according to the State Court Administrative Office. Although Koch didn't directly prosecute the case for the county, she was the supervisor of the assistant prosecutor who did. Loew currently is free while awaiting the outcome of his appeal. Website: http://www.allegancounty.org/Government/CC/Index.asp?pt=, Staff: George R. Corsiglia (Chief Judge), William A. Baillargeon http://www.allegancounty.org/Government/CC/Index.asp?pt=, The Public Access to Court Records (PACER), 36th Judicial Circuit Court Van Buren County. Apply today! ALLEGAN Two Allegan County judges have recused themselves from hearing the case of Daniel Loew, who is asking for a new trial after emails between the judge and the Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney were released during the prosecutors re-election campaign. Beginning January 1, 2022, Judge Roberts Kengis assumed the chief judge leadership of the 48 th Circuit Court. After the trooper left the witness stand, Bakker emailed Koch: This trooper didnt do a very good investigation. Lynch responded: Thats not the point. Koch has served as an assistant prosecutor since July of 2002, and as the Chief Assistant Prosecutor since last June. 2023 www.hollandsentinel.com. [1], If two or more candidates in a race receive the same number of votes, the election is to be decided by lot. Friday, Judge Kengis kept Fields bond the same. Herman was a member of the board of directors of the counseling center where Field worked and where some of the incidents took place. By using this website, you agree to comply with all of the terms of use . CASSOPOLIS A former Southwestern Michigan College instructor accused of having improper relations with a student he was counseling has accepted a plea deal just days before his trial was to start. Have a news tip? *Not location specific. The status of those grievances is unknown, as the merits of Loew's appeal are still pending. non-substantive) matters.". Michigan Probate Courts, Courts in Michigan Michigan judicial elections Judicial selection in Michigan. His case was bound over for a jury trial in Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court last month. 1983 against the County of Allegan, the State of Michigan, Kevin Cronin, a former judge of the 48th Circuit Court in Allegan County, and Robert Kengis, a current judge of the 48th Circuit Court, alleging claims for denial of due process, cruel and unusual punishment Ms. Kochs response acknowledged the criticism and acknowledged the breakdown in procedure. Jim Wheat, MD. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com or follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach. They have four children. ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI -- Allegan County Prosecutor Rob Kengis has been appointed to a recently vacated judgeship with the Allegan County Circuit Court. The victim was a student of Fields at SMC and also went to him for counseling at the Family Center in Dowagiac. Allegan, MI 49010, Design By Granicus - Connecting People & Government. *county-courthouse.com is not affiliated with the Official US Government, or any state, local, or federal office. They began investigating and recommended she contact the sheriffs department. Sarah Leach is editor of The Holland Sentinel. Generally, ex parte communications between a judge and only one party in a legal matter are prohibited by ethics codes for judges and attorneys because they can give an unfair advantage to one side in a case. 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