No oversight. No accountability.
Demand a Citizen
Advisory Committee.
The Kalamazoo County Friend of the Court has denied or dismissed every grievance filed against it. Zero corrective actions. Zero personnel actions. And there is no independent body reviewing whether those decisions were justified.
Michigan law allows citizens to demand one. Here's how.
18
Grievances filed
2020 to 2024
0
Corrective actions
5 years
100%
Denial rate
Every year
0
Oversight bodies
No CAC
MCL 552.504a
What is a Citizen Advisory Committee?
A CAC is a 9-member independent board of county residents that provides oversight of the Friend of the Court. Michigan law (MCL 552.504) authorizes every county to establish one. In 1996, they were mandatory. In 2004, PA 210 made them optional. Most counties dropped theirs. Kalamazoo never had one.
Reviews grievances
The CAC reviews and investigates every grievance filed against the FOC. They can disagree with the FOC's response and put that disagreement on record. In Kent County, the CAC overruled the FOC on a denied grievance in 2023.
Reports publicly
Annual reports go to the county board, the court, the SCAO, the governor's office, and the state legislature. This is not internal. It is a public record of how the FOC is performing and whether citizens are being heard.
Advises the court
The CAC advises the circuit court and county board on the FOC's duties, performance, and community needs. It gives citizens a direct line to the decision-makers who fund and oversee the FOC.
Who serves on a CAC? (MCL 552.504)
Members are appointed by the County Board of Commissioners. 3-year terms, staggered. Meetings must be open to the public (except individual grievance discussions).
Write the chief judge
Petition the 9th Circuit Court
The Chief Judge of the 9th Circuit Court has the authority to support the establishment of a CAC. A formal written petition backed by data showing systemic failure in the grievance process creates a public record. Even if they decline, the refusal itself becomes part of the story.
Chief Judge, 9th Circuit Court
Hon. Gary C. Giguere, Jr.
Chief Circuit/Probate Judge since 2022
Mailing address
9th Circuit Court
1536 Gull Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49048
Phone
(269) 383-8837
Family Division
(269) 385-6000
Judge Namita Sharma is the Presiding Judge of the Family Division, which directly oversees the FOC.
Pressure the board
Contact every county commissioner
Under MCL 552.504, the County Board of Commissioners establishes the CAC and appoints its members. They also control the FOC's budget. They can condition funding on establishing a CAC, request an independent audit of grievance handling, or pass a resolution calling for one.
Board meetings: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Committee of the Whole at 4:00 PM, Regular Board at 6:30 PM. Address: 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Phone: (269) 384-8111.
Tami Rey
District 1
(269) 329-8512
Jen StrebsCHAIR
District 2
(269) 903-6429
Monteze Morales
District 3
(269) 808-3189
Abigail Wheeler
District 4
(616) 951-5363
John TaylorVICE CHAIR
District 5
(815) 245-7160
John H. Gisler
District 6
(269) 217-2119
Jeff HepplerVICE CHAIR PRO TEM
District 7
(269) 629-5124
Wendy Mazer
District 8
(269) 372-7198
Dale DeLeeuw
District 9
(269) 720-6885
Show up. Speak during public comment. Every meeting. Every time.
Public comment is your right at every board meeting. Bring the numbers: 18 grievances, 0 corrective actions, 100% denial rate, no CAC. Ask each commissioner by name where they stand on establishing one. Make it uncomfortable to stay silent.
Escalate to the state
File with the SCAO and Judicial Tenure Commission
State Court Administrative Office
MCL 552.519 gives the SCAO oversight authority over FOC offices. If a pattern of zero corrective actions suggests the grievance process is broken, citizens can escalate directly. The SCAO already collects this data. They publish the grievance reports. Make them act on their own findings.
Michigan Supreme Court, SCAO
Friend of the Court Bureau
P.O. Box 30048, Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-5975
Judicial Tenure Commission
If the Chief Judge is aware of systemic grievance failures and takes no action, that is a conduct issue. The JTC handles complaints about judges. A pattern of institutional neglect is within scope. Complaints must be notarized and mailed. No electronic submission is accepted.
Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission
3034 W. Grand Blvd., Suite 8-350
Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 875-5110
Change the law
Push your state legislators to make CACs mandatory again
The SCAO submits these grievance reports directly to the legislature. That is not an accident. The law was designed so lawmakers could see this data. PA 210 in 2004 made CACs optional. The legislature can reverse that. A bill requiring CACs in counties above a denial rate threshold would fix this statewide.
State Senator Sean McCann
City of Kalamazoo and surrounding townships
State Senator Aric Nesbitt
Western/southern Kalamazoo County
State Representative Matt Longjohn
Portage, Oshtemo, Texas Township
State Representative Julie Rogers
Kalamazoo, Portage, Comstock Township
Talk the talk
What to say when you call, write, or show up
“I'm a Kalamazoo County resident and I'm requesting the establishment of a Citizen Advisory Committee for the Friend of the Court under MCL 552.504a.
Between 2020 and 2024, eighteen grievances were filed against the Kalamazoo County FOC. Every single one resulted in zero corrective actions. No changes to office operations and no personnel actions. The denial and nongrievable rate is 100%.
Kalamazoo County does not have a Citizen Advisory Committee. There is no independent body reviewing whether these denials are justified. Only 2 of 75 FOC offices in Michigan have active CACs. Kent County and Macomb County.
I am asking you to use your authority to establish a CAC for Kalamazoo County, appoint its nine members as required by statute, and ensure independent oversight of the FOC grievance process. This is not optional accountability. It is a mechanism that Michigan law provides for exactly this situation.”
Adapt this for your audience: Chief Judge, County Commissioner, State Rep, or SCAO. The data is the same. The ask is the same. Say it at every meeting, in every letter, on every call.
The data is public.
The pattern is clear.
Every number on this page comes from state-published reports. The FOC's own grievance data tells the story. We just made it impossible to ignore.
Legal basis
Relevant statutes
Each county may establish a citizen friend of the court advisory committee of 9 members, appointed by the county board of commissioners.
Meet at least 6 times annually. Review and investigate grievances. Advise the court and county board. Submit annual reports to the county board, court, SCAO, governor, and legislature.
The SCAO/FOCB shall collect data on FOC operations including all grievances filed and prepare annual reports to the legislature.
Any party may file a written grievance with the FOC. The FOC must respond within 30 days. If not satisfied, the party may file a further grievance with the chief circuit judge.
Changed CAC establishment from mandatory to optional. This is the law that needs to be reversed, or worked around at the county level.