Michigan no longer has a justice of the peace. The office was abolished by the 1963 Michigan Constitution, and by January 1, 1969 the legislature had replaced it with the district court system. The minor civil disputes, misdemeanor cases, traffic matters, and small-money claims that once went before a JP are now handled by district court judges and district court magistrates.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Constitution Article VI Section 26 – Circuit Court Commissioners and Justices of the Peace, Abolition; Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
Why Michigan Got Rid of the Justice of the Peace
For most of the state’s history, justices of the peace were laypersons. They needed no legal training, and outcomes varied widely from one township to the next. When Michigan adopted its current constitution in 1963, Article VI, Section 26 formally abolished the office and gave the legislature until January 1, 1969 to build replacement courts staffed by legally trained judges.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Constitution Article VI Section 26 – Circuit Court Commissioners and Justices of the Peace, Abolition; Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
The legislature met that deadline in 1968 by creating the district court. The new system folded the work of justices of the peace, municipal courts, and circuit court commissioners into a single tier of trial courts with organized judicial districts and elected, licensed-attorney judges. It was a large restructuring, not a rename, and it brought Michigan in line with a nationwide move away from lay judges.
District Court Judges Took Over the JP’s Bench
District court judges are the direct successors to the justice of the peace on more serious matters. To hold the office, a judge must have been admitted to the practice of law for at least five years and be under 70 at the time of election or appointment. Judges serve six-year terms and appear on nonpartisan ballots, with no party label next to their names.2Michigan Judicial Institute. Justitia Judges
When a seat opens up mid-term, the governor appoints someone to fill it, and the appointee must then run for the remainder of the unexpired term at the next judicial election.2Michigan Judicial Institute. Justitia Judges The State Bar of Michigan keeps a standing committee on judicial qualifications that can interview and rate candidates at the governor’s request, but the governor is not required to consult it and is not bound by its evaluations.
District Court Magistrates Handle the Everyday Work
Magistrates work alongside district court judges and take on much of the routine business that used to fill a JP’s docket. They are appointed by the judges of the district, and those appointments must be approved by the county board of commissioners. Detroit’s 36th District is the exception: the chief judge appoints magistrates there directly, and they serve at the chief judge’s pleasure.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws Section 600.8501
Magistrates are not required to be attorneys, but they can only exercise the powers the chief judge of their district has expressly authorized. Their statutory duties include conducting arraignments and first appearances in criminal cases, holding probable cause conferences, issuing arrest and search warrants, setting bail and accepting bond, and appointing counsel for defendants who cannot afford an attorney in qualifying misdemeanor cases. A district judge can override a magistrate’s action without any formal appeal, which builds a check into the system.4Michigan Courts. Authority of District Court Magistrate
What Kinds of Cases the District Court Now Hears
The district court’s jurisdiction lines up closely with the everyday work a justice of the peace once did, only with more structure and more authority. On the criminal side, district courts handle all misdemeanor offenses and the initial stages of felony cases, including arraignment, probable cause conferences, and preliminary examinations to decide whether there is enough evidence to send a felony to circuit court.5Michigan Courts. Michigan Courts A Quick Reference Guide to the Trial Court System
On the civil side, district courts hear:
- Cases involving claims up to $25,000
- Landlord-tenant disputes, including evictions
- Traffic infractions, from speeding tickets to more serious violations
Each district court also runs a small claims division, which is closest in feel to the old justice-of-the-peace forum.5Michigan Courts. Michigan Courts A Quick Reference Guide to the Trial Court System
Small Claims: The Closest Modern Equivalent
The small claims division handles money disputes up to $7,000.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws Section 600.8401 That limit rose from $6,500 in January 2024. If your claim is larger, you can still file in small claims, but you cannot recover more than the $7,000 cap.7Michigan Courts. Small Claims Jurisdiction
Small claims is designed to be informal. Attorneys do not represent parties there, and there are no jury trials or formal discovery. If either side wants a lawyer, they can remove the case to the regular district court division before the hearing starts. Removal lifts the $7,000 cap, but the case will take longer and follow formal rules of evidence.
Filing fees are tiered by the amount claimed:
- Up to $600: $25
- $601 to $1,750: $45
- Over $1,750: $65
These fees are set by statute and apply in every Michigan district court.8Michigan Courts. District Court Fee and Assessments Table
Felony Cases Still Start Here
One of the more consequential jobs district courts inherited is screening felony cases before they move to circuit court. After arraignment, the court sets a probable cause conference within 7 to 14 days, followed by a preliminary examination within 5 to 7 days after that conference.9Michigan Courts. Michigan Judicial Institute – Designated Proceedings: Preliminary Examination At the preliminary examination, a district court judge decides whether there is probable cause to believe a felony was committed and that the defendant committed it. If so, the case is bound over to circuit court. If not, the charge is dismissed.
A magistrate can run the probable cause conference but cannot accept pleas or impose sentences at that stage.4Michigan Courts. Authority of District Court Magistrate The preliminary examination itself stays with the judge.
Where an Appeal Goes
If you lose in district court, the appeal goes up to circuit court, not to a JP-style review. The deadline is strict: a claim of appeal must be filed within 21 days after the judgment, order, or decision is entered. That deadline is jurisdictional, so the circuit court loses power to hear the appeal if you miss it. Filing a motion for new trial or reconsideration inside that first 21-day window can reset the clock, but only until 21 days after the court rules on that motion.10Michigan Courts. Chapter 2 – Circuit Court Appeals
Along with the claim of appeal, you file a copy of the judgment being appealed, proof that a transcript has been ordered, proof that all parties and the trial court have been served, and the appeal fee. Circuit court reviews the original trial record. There is no fresh trial on appeal.