Lenawee County
Lenawee County, the 23rd largest county in Michigan, was created in 1822 from Monroe County. It is home to over 99,423 people spread across 749.6 square miles of land area, and the county seat is Adrian. Lenawee County's judicial system comprises the Circuit Court, District Court, and Probate Court.
As the highest court in Lenawee County, the 39th Circuit Court presides over major civil cases with claims over $25,000 and serious criminal cases like felonies. Cases related to writs of habeas corpus, as well as appeals from the District Court, are also decided by the court. The Family Court operates as one of the three Circuit Court's Divisions, and it oversees domestic relations matters, such as divorce, paternity, and custody. A Family Court Subdivision, the Juvenile Court, handles proceedings on juvenile delinquencies, child welfare, abuse, and neglect. The Lenawee County Friend of the Court (FOC) and Adult Drug Treatment Court are separate divisions of the Circuit Court operating as informal courts. While the Friend of the Court handles outside-the-court mediation of family disputes, such as custody, parenting time, and child support, the Adult Treatment Court provides therapy for defendants convicted of drug-related felonies.
The District Court in Lenawee County rules over civil cases up to $25,000 in claims. It also sits on traffic violations and landlord-tenant cases, and its decisions may be appealed to the Circuit Court. Lenawee County District Court has a division called the Sobriety Court, which adopts a non-adversarial approach in mitigating recidivism among substance abuse defendants. Cases related to administration of decedents' estates and conservatorship, as well as matters pertaining to mental health, name changes, foreign birth registration, and wills, are handled by Lenawee County Probate Court.
In Lenawee County, court records refer to information and documents collected during case filings and court proceedings. They include subpoenas, motions, pleadings, transcripts, notices, and court orders, which are typically kept by the clerks of respective courts. Aside from Juvenile records, mental illness records, expunged records, records sealed by court order, and other sensitive records, most court records in the county are publicly available.
Common court records in Lenawee County include the following:
- Criminal Records
- Civil Records
- Family Law Records
- Juvenile Records
- Probate Records
Records of cases decided by the Circuit Court and District Court may be searched through the MiCOURT Case Search portal. For District Court, only cases decided within the last seven years are available on this portal. Interested individuals may also view Lenawee County Circuit, Probate, and FOC courts' dockets and District Court dockets online. Court records not available online may be obtained directly from the court where the case was heard.
