Search Lenawee County Circuit Court Records

The 39th Circuit Court in Lenawee County

The 39th Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court for Lenawee County. Its own page calls it the superior court for the county. It sits on the third floor of the Rex B. Martin Judicial Building at 425 N. Main Street in Adrian, and it can be reached at 517-264-4597.

The court holds original jurisdiction over the county's most serious cases. That includes all felony criminal matters, civil claims over $25,000, divorces, injunctions, writs of superintending control, and writs of habeas corpus. Lower-level cases start in other courts.

Because the Circuit Court hears felonies and divorces, it produces some of the most requested records in the county. Its files run through the County Clerk, who also serves as Circuit Court Clerk.

Circuit Court Judges and Administration

Two judges preside over the 39th Circuit Court. Judge Michael R. Olsaver sits in Circuit Court I. Judge Anna Marie Anzalone sits in Circuit Court II. Ciara McGrane serves as Judicial Attorney and Circuit Court Administrator.

The judges hear the felony, civil, and family matters within the court's jurisdiction. The administrator manages court operations and scheduling behind the docket.

For the clerk side that keeps the case files and takes filings, the Lenawee County Clerk page covers the office and its request process.

Lenawee County Trial Courts

Michigan's local trial courts come in three kinds, and Lenawee County has all three under one roof in the Judicial Building. Each handles a different set of cases. The table below lists them with their location and phone.

All three share the same downtown Adrian address, so the floor number is what tells them apart for an in-person visit.

Circuit vs District vs Probate Court

The three courts do not overlap much. One takes the serious cases, one takes the everyday cases, and one takes the estate and protection cases. The comparison below shows how they split the work.

A single incident can touch more than one court. A felony arrest, for example, begins in the District Court and moves to the Circuit Court after a preliminary examination.

How a Case Moves Through the System

A serious case does not stay in one court. It climbs a ladder, from the first hearing to any appeal. Most felony matters follow a familiar path through the county and up to the state courts.

Case flow: District Court › Circuit Court › Michigan Court of Appeals › Michigan Supreme Court

A felony starts in the 2A District Court for arraignment and a preliminary examination. If the case is bound over, it moves to the 39th Circuit Court for trial-level proceedings. Appeals then go to the Michigan Court of Appeals, and the Michigan Supreme Court is the final state stop.

The daily hearing schedules for these courts appear on the county display pages. The Lenawee County court dockets page explains how to read those schedules.

No E-File and No Email Pleadings

The 39th Circuit Court has an unusual local rule. It does not offer electronic filing at this time. It also does not accept pleadings sent by email.

All pleadings must be mailed or dropped off in person at the clerk counter. That rule matters for anyone filing a case or asking for a copy, since email is simply not a filing channel here. Plan for paper and a trip or a stamp.

Note: The Circuit Court accepts pleadings only by mail or in person, so do not rely on email for any court filing.

Appeals From the District Court

The Circuit Court is also where District Court appeals land. The 2A District Court became a court of record in 1973 and records testimony electronically through a court recorder. That record is what an appeal rests on.

An appeal from the District Court goes to the Circuit Court on the record, not as a new trial. The Circuit Court reviews a typewritten transcript or a settled record rather than hearing the case over again.

For the full criminal file that an appeal may draw from, the Lenawee County court records page covers how case files are searched and copied.

Circuit Court Case Search

The county links the Circuit Court to Michigan's public case search. The MiCOURT system lets the public look up participating Lenawee County courts by name or case number. It shows the case index, parties, events, and status.

Michigan does not publish scanned court documents online. Public search covers the docket, while certified documents come from the clerk. For a felony, divorce, or higher civil case, the Circuit Court is the court to select in MiCOURT.

The Prosecuting Attorney files and pursues the criminal cases that reach this court, and the Office of the Public Defender represents eligible people who cannot afford a lawyer. Both may appear in a Circuit Court case record, since attorney names show on the docket. For the felony case file itself, the court's records run through the County Clerk in the same building.

• Felony criminal - after bindover from the District Court.
• Divorce and family - divorce and personal protection matters.
• Civil over $25,000 - larger money disputes and injunctions.

Friend of the Court and Family Division

Family cases add another layer to the Circuit Court. The Family Division hears divorce, custody, and related domestic matters. Alongside it, the Friend of the Court handles the day-to-day support work that a divorce or paternity case creates.

The Friend of the Court manages custody, parenting time, medical reimbursement, and child support. It also runs enforcement and mediation, and it offers an interactive voice response system for routine questions. Juvenile delinquency and child protective matters run through the Family Division as well, though many juvenile records are closed to the public by statute.

Because these files touch children and finances, parts of them are confidential. A public search may show that a case exists without exposing the sensitive details inside it.

Specialty Courts Tied to Circuit Court

The Circuit Court connects to the county's treatment-based courts. Lenawee County runs four specialty court programs: Sobriety Court, Drug and Recovery Court, Enhanced Treatment Court, and Veterans Treatment Court. Each aims to treat the substance use or mental health problem behind a crime rather than rely on incarceration alone.

The Recovery Court is a voluntary, intensive probation program for county residents convicted of certain non-violent drug or alcohol felonies in the 39th Circuit Court. It has operated since 2016, can serve up to sixty participants, and takes a minimum of about twenty-two months to complete. It draws on state and federal grant funding, including support from the State Court Administrative Office and SAMHSA.

The county has published outcome data for these programs. It reported three-year new-conviction rates for graduates since 2015, comparing local graduates to statewide figures.

The Enhanced Treatment Court, also called the Mental Health Court, connects defendants with individualized mental health treatment under an interdisciplinary team. The Sobriety Court targets repeat drunk-driving offenders, and the Veterans Treatment Court was newer at the time the county reported its results.

These programs still run within the court system, so participation and progress appear in the case record. They reflect a broader county shift toward treatment for eligible defendants.

Note: Specialty court admission is decided case by case, so eligibility and program terms should be confirmed with the court or a defense attorney.