2020 Michigan Compiled Laws
Chapter 600 - Revised Judicature Act of 1961
Act 236 of 1961 Revised Judicature Act of 1961 (600.101 - 600.9948)
236-1961-81 Chapter 81 District Court: Establishment; Districts (600.8101...600.8181)
Section 600.8126 Fifty-Sixth District; Creation of Fifty-Sixth-a District and Fifty-Sixth-B District.

Sec. 8126.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), the fifty-sixth district consists of the counties of Barry and Eaton, is a district of the first class, and is divided into the following election divisions:

(a) The first division consists of the county of Barry and has 1 judge.

(b) The second division consists of the county of Eaton and has 2 judges.

(2) Effective January 1, 1999, if the county of Eaton approves the creation of the fifty-sixth-a district pursuant to law, and if the county of Barry approves the creation of the fifty-sixth-b district pursuant to law, both of the following apply:

(a) The fifty-sixth-a district consists of the county of Eaton, is a district of the first class, and has 2 judges.

(b) The fifty-sixth-b district consists of the county of Barry, is a district of the first class, and has 1 judge.

History: Add. 1968, Act 154, Eff. June 17, 1968 ;-- Am. 1978, Act 164, Imd. Eff. May 25, 1978 ;-- Am. 1998, Act 14, Imd. Eff. Mar. 5 1998
Compiler's Notes: Sections 2 to 7 of Act 164 of 1978 provide:“Sections 600.6404, 600.6410, and 600.6413 effective January 1, 1979; effective date of changes in composition of judicial circuits or district court districts.“Section 2. Sections 6404, 6410, and 6413 of Act No. 236 of the Public Acts of 1961, as amended by this amendatory act, being sections 600.6404, 600.6410, and 600.6413 of the Compiled Laws of 1970, shall not take effect until January 1, 1979. Except as otherwise provided in sections 524, 527, and 534 of Act No. 236 of the Public Acts of 1961, as amended by this amendatory act, being sections 600.524, 600.527, and 600.534 of the Compiled Laws of 1970, the changes in the composition of judicial circuits or district court districts as provided in this amendatory act shall become effective for judicial purposes on January 1, 1979.“Election to fill new circuit and district judgeships; term.“Section 3. Except as otherwise provided in sections 4, 5, 6 and 7, the new circuit and district judgeships created by this amendatory act shall be filled by election pursuant to Act No. 116 of the Public Acts of 1954, as amended, being sections 168.1 to 168.992 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, for a term of 6 years commencing January 1, 1979.“Ballot; nominating petition; affidavit of candidacy.“Section 4. The new judgeships authorized by this amendatory act shall appear on the ballot separate and apart from other judicial offices on the ballot in the primary and general election in the respective circuit and district court districts. If another judicial office of the same court is to be filled by election in the same circuit or district, a candidate for a new judgeship authorized in that circuit or district by this amendatory act shall indicate, at the time of filing nominating petitions, whether the candidate is filing for a new judgeship or for 1 of the other judicial offices of the same court to be filled by election in the applicable year. Petitions for a new judgeship created by this act shall bear signatures affixed to the petition after the effective date of this act. An elected incumbent circuit judge in a circuit in which the number of circuit judges has been increased by this amendatory act may become a candidate in the primary election for that office for any term for which a circuit judge is to be elected at the 1978 general election in that circuit by filing an affidavit of candidacy with the secretary of state not later than 4 days after the effective date of this amendatory act.“Terms of judges.“Section 5. Of the 2 additional judgeships created for the third judicial circuit, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes in the 1978 general election shall be elected for a term of 8 years and the candidate receiving the second highest number of votes shall be elected for a term of 6 years. Of the 3 additional judgeships created for the sixth judicial circuit, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes in the 1978 general election shall be elected for a term of 8 years and the candidates receiving the second and third highest number of votes shall be elected for a term of 6 years. Of the 2 additional judgeships created for the thirtieth judicial circuit, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes in the 1978 general election shall be elected for a term of 8 years and the candidate receiving the second highest number of votes shall be elected for a term of 6 years. The additional circuit judges authorized by this amendatory act in the eighth, seventeenth, and twenty-ninth judicial circuits shall be elected for a term of 8 years. The additional circuit judge authorized by this amendatory act in the eighteenth, thirty-first, thirty-eighth, and fortieth judicial circuits shall be elected for a term of 10 years. The additional district judges authorized in the thirty-fifth and forty-first-a districts and in the first division of the fifty-sixth district shall be elected for a term of 4 years. “Election of additional judges; assumption and term of office.“Section 6. (1) The additional district judges authorized by this amendatory act in the fifty-fourth-b district and the first division of the fifty-second district shall be elected in 1980 and shall assume office on January 1, 1981, for a term of 4 years.“(2) The additional circuit judge authorized by this amendatory act in the fourteenth judicial circuit shall be elected in 1980 and shall assume office on January 1, 1981, for a term of 8 years.“Residence of certain circuit judges; effect.“Section 7. If the circuit judge elected in the twenty-sixth judicial circuit in 1978 is a resident of the county of Cheboygan on June 6, 1978, that person shall continue during the remainder of his or her term after January 1, 1981 as a judge of the thirty-third judicial circuit and the second circuit judgeship authorized by law for the twenty-sixth judicial circuit shall be filled by election in 1980 for a term of 8 years. If the circuit judge elected in the twenty-sixth judicial circuit in 1978 is a resident of 1 of the counties of Alpena, Montmorency, or Presque Isle on June 6, 1978, that person shall continue during the remainder of his or her term after January 1, 1981 as a judge of the twenty-sixth judicial circuit and the second circuit judgeship authorized by law for the thirty-third judicial circuit shall be filled by election in 1980 for a term of 6 years.”Section 1 of Act 128 of 1980 provides:“Enacting sections amended; revised judicature act of 1961.“Section 1. Enacting sections 6 and 7 of Act No. 164 of the Public Acts of 1978 are amended to read as follows:“Election of additional judges; assumption and terms of office.“Section 6. (1) The additional district judge authorized by this amendatory act in the first division of the fifty-second district shall be elected in 1980 and shall assume office on January 1, 1981, for a term of 8 years.“(2) The additional circuit judge authorized by this amendatory act in the fourteenth judicial circuit shall be elected in 1980 and shall assume office on January 1, 1981, for a term of 8 years.“Twenty-sixth judicial circuit; vacancy; residence of candidates; eligibility of electors; failure of Cheboygan county to approve creation of fifty-third judicial circuit and circuit judgeship.“Section 7. (1) If a vacancy occurs in the twenty-sixth judicial circuit between the effective date of this section, as amended, and June 3, 1980, candidates to fill the unexpired portion of the term shall be residents of the twenty-sixth judicial circuit as that circuit will be constituted on January 1, 1981, pursuant to this act. Electors of the counties of Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, and Presque Isle shall be eligible to vote in the primary and general elections of 1980 to fill that vacancy and electors of those counties are qualified to sign and circulate nominating petitions for candidates to fill the vacancy.“(2) If the county of Cheboygan does not approve the creation of the fifty-third judicial circuit and the circuit judgeship proposed for it pursuant to House Bill No. 5553 of the 1980 regular session of the legislature, the second circuit judgeship authorized by law for the thirty-third judicial circuit shall be filled by election in 1980 for a term of 6 years.”Enacting sections 1 and 2 of Act 14 of 1998 provide:“Enacting section 1. The creation of the fifty-sixth-a district and the fifty-sixth-b district, as allowed by this 1998 amendatory act, shall not take place unless resolutions of approval by the county boards of commissioners of the counties of Barry and Eaton, as required by section 8176 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.8176, are filed with the state court administrator not later than April 1, 1998.“Enacting section 2. If new judicial districts of the district court are created under this amendatory act pursuant to section 8176 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 800.8176 [sic], the change in the composition of the affected judicial districts shall take effect for election purposes on April 1, 1998 and shall take effect for judicial purposes on January 1, 1999. If the fifty-sixth-a district and the fifty-sixth-b district are created pursuant to this amendatory act, all of the following apply as to the incumbent judges of the fifty-sixth district:“(a) The incumbent judge who resides in the first election division of the fifty-sixth district and whose term expires on January 1, 2001 shall become a judge of the fifty-sixth-b district on January 1, 1999 for the balance of the term for which he or she was elected or appointed, except that he or she must continue to meet other requirements for eligibility to serve as district judge, including residency requirements.“(b) If the incumbent judge in the second election division whose term expires January 1, 1999 seeks election in the fifty-sixth-a district for a term beginning January 1, 1999 and meets other requirements for eligibility to serve as district judge, including residency requirements, that judge is entitled to the designation of his or her office on the ballot in the 1998 August primary election and in the 1998 November general election. The incumbent judge may qualify for nomination by filing an affidavit of candidacy as an incumbent judge of the fifty-sixth-a district as provided in section 467c of the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.467c.“(c) The incumbent judge in the second election division whose term expires January 1, 2003 shall become a judge of the fifty-sixth-a district on January 1, 1999 for the balance of the term for which he or she was elected or appointed, except that he or she must continue to meet other requirements for eligibility to serve as district judge, including residency requirements.”