.widget-row.Democratic { }, Margaret Bakker is the chief judge of the 48th Circuit Court in Allegan County, Michigan. width: 43%; Cronin claims Bakker is exceeding her authority by interfering with how a fellow judge chooses a clerk. I say less because he was given every other weekend through the year and 5 weeks in the summer. Of course, these accusations came after my husband threatened to petition the court for visitation. "Chief Judge Bakker was shocked" by the hiring, said her attorney, Craig Lubben. It centers around Cronins hiring of a legal clerk Bakker had previously fired. Judge Circuit: Allegan County 48th: See Comments: Attorney Average Rating: - 0 rating(s) Non-Attorney . The involvement of the United States and NATO in the war in Ukraine risks bringing "catastrophic consequences", Russia warned Thursday in a speech boycotted by many Western diplomats. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Judge Skocelas (2nd floor CTRM A), Judge Baillargeon (2nd floor CTRM B) & Magis. Reading what he has done is sickening.. Although Koch didn't directly prosecute the case for the county, she was the supervisor of the assistant prosecutor who did. The emails were unearthed by Allegan-based attorney Michael Villar, who was challenging County Prosecutor Myrene Koch's re-election bid in summer 2020. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. It would be nice if my husbands case was reheard with an impartial judge. While Circuit Court Judge Margaret Bakker had said Tato had attacked a person because one of the women walking Piper was injured by the dog in the process of trying to separate the dogs, the Court of Appeals said those injuries were . Hearing Info. DAWHO DEBITSPORT/. There is no indication when the court will respond to the row. The short encounter came as relations between Washington and Moscow have plummeted while tensions over Russias war with Ukraine have soared. Who has the money to fly roundtrip every other weekend for two days? I am prepared and excited to continue doing what I love: ensuring that each person who comes into my courtroom is treated with respect and receives a fair trial, she said. Michael Vaughan to defend himself on second day of Yorkshire racism hearing. } The lawsuit was filed in Allegan County, but will be heard by an Ottawa County judge. chicken of the woods ottawa; how tall was prophet idris; how much money did hercules in new york make He is already serving two life sentences plus 20 years forthe 1980 murder of Kathleen Doylein Norfolk, Virginia. Joan Young Oakland County Following that murder, Bowman wascharged with other crimes against women. Bowman is a serious, dangerous man that has harmed many communities, many families. Cronin is also seeking payment of attorney fees related to a Judicial Tenure Commission complaint. CPAC 2023 live: Jimmy Kimmel mocks Republican convention before Trump, Haley and Bolsonaro speak. Fuller said when Smith approached him, he was already familiar with Aundrias case. Offline . Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. . Don't they have detectives with MSP anymore?". Classified Advertising, LEGAL Koch said Aundrias friends and family described her as sweet and a protective older sister. We literally went full force and pulled out all stops. .widget-row.heading { With her face on the judicial system, I am ashamed of what it stands for as an American! 2.2 Allegan County; 2.3 Bay County; 2.4 Berrien County; 2.5 Calhoun County; 2.6 Cass County; 2.7 Charlevoix ln; 2.8 Chippewa County; 2.9 Clare County; 2.10 Genesee County; 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Its unfortunate for those people (my personal opinion is MEN) who are trapped in her biased, and man hating ways. 616-459-4545 We walked out of court that day saying this is one step in the right direction. Margaret Bakker is the chief judge of the 48th Circuit Court in Allegan County, Michigan. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. .widget-row.Green { All Rights Reserved. After Cronin hired Anderson, Bakker said Anderson would be escorted out if he showed up for work. Kengis replaces Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker who had been elected to the circuit court in 2010. The case was tried by assistant prosecuting attorney Emily Jipp. [1] [2] She ran for re-election in 2016. The status of those grievances is unknown, as the merits of Loew's appeal are still pending. The emails were made public by Villar during the 2020 Republican primary for the Allegan prosecutor post. On the day of the Evidentiary Hearing Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker refused to view the evidence we had worked so diligently to gather. My husband was BULLIED into settling. margin-bottom: 1px; Bakker told the Supreme Court that she is properly exercising her powers as chief judge. Lynch told The Sentinel on Friday the most recent decision to hear arguments indicates the high court's interest in issues it deems of "significant public concern.". Grand Rapids Business Journal has been West Michigan's primary and most trusted source of local business news since 1983. } Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Biden administration unveils long-awaited national, Group connects Latina survivors of abuse with police, Kalamazoo Co. lifts state of emergency from ice storm, Back-to-back hurricanes more likely to happen, Former Alma wrestling coach named Albion AD, Izzo announces MSU & Minnesota game wont be played, Harbaugh helps Ann Arbor police move fallen tree, Mike Nolan brings NFL experience to Michigan Panthers, Nominate a remarkable woman in West Michigan, March is time for exploring at Treetops Resort, Personalized planning for your blended family, Music, pasta and cocktails at Soaring Eagle, Ageless Beauty can help you get better skin, Disability Advocates of Kent Co. push for accessibility, 9 to 5 musical coming to Aquinas this weekend, Rockford student to help develop MSU esports program, Wife testifies Allegan Co. man admitted fault in daughters 1989 death, Windshield covers and other handy gear you need for, 18 trendy cowboy boots to wear this winter, 18 books youll want to read on Dr. Seuss Day, Art project invites all to decorate rocks in Muskegon, Homeowners outraged over Consumers power line plan, Commissioner: Health officer fight is foolishness, State leaders promote EV jobs to meet growing demand, Food pantry prepares for extra SNAP benefits to end, Paw Paw gives back to support firefighters family, Consumers works to restore power, hosts free breakfast, Sheriff: 2 arrested after child brings meth to school, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. Michael G. Mack Alpena County Probate Court Hon. GRBJ Jobs, ADVERTISE This petition starter stood up and took action. Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met briefly Thursday at a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations in the first high-level meeting in months between the two countries. It got to the point that Aneasha cut all contact with my husband refusing him access and contact to Cheyanna. [2] The county seat is Allegan. Allegan County Judge Kevin Cronin has taken the extraordinary step of asking the Michigan Supreme Court to intervene in a turf battle with Chief Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker. An Allegan County jury last year convicted Daniel Loew of criminal sexual conduct. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Michigan Supreme Court to decide if Allegan man gets new CSC trial, Appeals court walks back new trial for man after prosecutor, judge emailed during trial, Man wins new trial over email exchange between judge, prosecutor, Judges recused from hearing mans request for new trial, Allegan man says judge, prosecutor denied him a fair trial, Get unlimited access to our local coverage, Michigan Supreme Court to decide if Allegan man gets new CSC trial, A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. Update April 17, 2012 Okay, so I'm still here. Villar said communications between Bakker and Koch have been improper, leading to him filing a complaint with the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission for Bakker and the Attorney Grievance Commission for Koch. In the emails, Bakker wrote to Koch: "This trooper didnt do a very good investigation. } This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Bakker files for re-election to Allegan County judgeship. Equity markets soared in January then gave back half of their gains in February as the New Year rally ran out of steam. In Allegan County Circuit Court Monday morning, Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker sentenced 75-year-old Dennis Bowman to 35 to 50 years in prison for second-degree murder in the death of his adopted daughter Aundria. Bakker was chief judge of the 48th Circuit Court throughout her judicial tenure until this year, when she chose not to reapply for the position. Terms and Conditions ALLEGAN Attorney Mike Villar has filed complaints against current Allegan County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker and current Allegan County Prosecutor Myrene Koch. What other intelligent reasons could explain the travesty that took place in court that day? Allegan County will soon have a new Prosecuting Attorney. [5] Incumbent Margaret Bakker ran unopposed in the 48th Circuit general election. After many years of reading, watching, and hearing stories of corruption that word tends to take on a dramatic role that really doesnt have a place in most regular peoples lives. The chief judge is responsible for management of the court's staff and operations. In November 2020, Allegan District Court JudgeWilliam Baillargeon's granted Loew'smotion for a new trial, saying such one-sided communications, called ex parte communications, between the judge and the prosecutor gave the appearance of impropriety. Click below to see everything we have to offer. It turns out that Judge Margaret Zuzich-Bakker sent emails to prosecutor Myrene Koch during the trial, asking a. font-weight: bold; Unknown . border:1px solid #FFB81F; width: 100%; padding-left: 10px; Instead I was met with sickness, disappointment, anger, and many more emotions that dont even compare to what emotions that my husband is dealing with. The current Prosecutor was hand-selected and appointed by Circuit Judge Margaret Bakker in March of this year without any application process whatsoever. Locate a virtual courtroom by Judge or Hearing Officer. Daniel Loew The emails between Koch and. She awarded sole custody to stay with the mother, and my husband was given less than the bare minimum. Anderson was blamed for a backlog of cases and sleeping on the job, although he denied any office naps. In the district court, there are also two judges. To stand up, on my husbands behalf and all the other men (or woman) that are overlooked, and tell this judge, Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker, that everything she is suppose to stand for Judicially is nothing more than hate, bias, and bigotry at its worst. Judge Bakker is a founding member of Sylvia's Place, Allegan County's non-profit organization that addresses issues of interpersonal violence and is also a founding member of the Allegan County Legal Assistance Center and serves on the Board of Directors. An Allegan County jury in 2019 convicted Loew of criminal sexual conduct. Cronin and Bakker are the only Circuit Court judges in Allegan County, southwest of Grand Rapids, but Bakker is the chief judge. The county covered his attorney fees last year regarding another complaint that was dismissed.

float:right; 	background-color: #f9f9f9; Michael L. Buck 57th District Court Hon. 	color: white; 	background-color: #f9f9f9; "Maybe it wasn't the case, but it creates the appearance of coaching, or at least flagging, 'This is something you're going to need to address,' and that's my worry," Baillargeon said. GRBJ.com provides the same trusted and objective business reporting that the Business Journal is known for  plus real-time original content, timely e-newsletters/alerts, exclusive blogs and more. Bakker wanted to establish a pool of law clerks who could help in either courtroom as well as Probate Court. 	background-color: grey;  Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The 36th Circuit Court has original jurisdiction in all civil cases with claims of more than $25,000 and criminal cases where the offense is a felony or serious misdemeanor. Ad Choices  Bakker quickly declared that she was forming a pool of law clerks for the court  and Anderson wouldn't be a member, Lubben said in a March 17 response at the Supreme Court. } He asked to appear by phone which was granted.  That was it! Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our   User Agreement,  Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement,  and Your Privacy Choices and Rights  (each updated 1/26/2023). Noting this was an especially heinous crime, the judge went beyond those guidelines.  .widget-key { For the record, I love this child like she is my own, going above and beyond making her feel welcome into her second home. My husband and his daughters mother were never married.  You need to be given that opportunity.. Koch said she hopes Bowmans conviction will allow Aundria to rest in peace. 	display: inline-block; I am starting a petition to have her removed and am desperately seeking help from any outside sources (Congressmen, lawyers, organizations or all the way up the totem pole. .clearfix { ALLEGAN, Mich. (AP)  A man convicted of criminal sexual conduct doesnt deserve a new trial, despite learning that a western Michigan judge was sharing her opinion of the case through emails with a prosecutor. Miedema, previously an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ottawa County, was first elected to the judgeship in 2016. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com or follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach. He didnt ask for more time, but rather asked Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker to reorganize his Parenting Time to reflect that we live in Florida and that we cant afford multiple roundtrips from Michigan to Florida. The emails were unearthed by Allegan-based attorney Michael Villar, who was challenging County Prosecutor Myrene Koch's re-election bid in summer 2020. She refused to even hear my husbands arguments for change of custody. Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker clearly has biased and this prevents her from doing what she was appointed to do. } Family Division How can someone, Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker, live up to that role that they have taken without the life experience necessary to understand the dynamics of this specific branch of family law? Judge Bakker is a personal friend of the appoint. Click a county to see available virtual courtrooms . This email chain is more than just "scheduling and administrative matters". Still he held his head high and we walked forward. 	margin-top: 1px; It turns out that Judge Margaret Zuzich-Bakker sent emails to prosecutor Myrene Koch during the trial, asking a question about the victim and offering an unflattering opinion about state police. The Michigan State Police detective had a sample of (Bowmans) DNA, but no evidence suitable for comparison from the body of Aundria.. Appeals from the Western District go to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit . Instead, Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker pulled our attorney, which we spent a year saving to retain, to the side and said there was no point in continuing onto the hearing due to the Defendant not being a stable factor in the childs life. Please enter valid email address to continue. Bakker became Allegan County's first female circuit court judge when she won election to the position in 2010, immediately assuming the leadership role of chief judge when she took office. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; .courts-container { background-color:#fcfcfc; width:100%; border:1px solid black;padding:5px;text-align:center;clear:both; } The Webster Dictionary defines corruption among other definitions as being morally debased, and that is precisely what Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker is. Aneashas own words were degrading and belittling Jamie and our Daughter Isabella in the presence of Cheyanna. In February 2021, police told News 8 that Bowmanconfessed to a rape and assaultin 1979. Was told today that Judge Bakker and Myreine Koch won't drop my case cause it's gone too far for them to turn back now. Bowman is not safe to be in our community, the judge said. It is the juror's civic duty to appear for jury.            / CW50 Detroit. Business Journal subscribers receive the biweekly print edition, including bonus publications like the annual Book of Lists. Actor suggested movie was too close to the bone for some in the industry, Reports of the disgraced royals reluctance to move out of current home arrive as Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirm they were asked to vacate their 10-bedroom property in Windsor, , It was Sesen who saw them first: Suyian, Mikey!, Singer came in 29th place on a recent list of the 200 greatest singers of all time. ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI - Allegan County Circuit Judge Kevin Cronin is suing the county over its refusal to pay his attorney fees in a legal spat with his colleague and chief judge,.  	word-wrap: break-word; YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 	color: black; Defendant, Margaret Zuzich Bakker (Judge Bakker), is a duly elected judge of the 48th Circuit Court in Allegan County, Michigan and is presently the chief judge of 	display: inline-block; We're doing our best to get things working smoothly! After months of postponements and delays we were finally able to go in for an Evidentiary Hearing in regards to Changing Custody with all the evidence we had spent a year collecting. 	width: 250px; Candidates are placed on the ballot via nonpartisan primaries or by nominating petitions. Anderson could take legal action both for his firing as referee and as a law clerk, an attorney said. 	color: white; Eli Lilly's insulin price cap: How much will the drug cost?  Cronin considered Anderson the most qualified, despite any issues Bakker had with him. This judge is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. [3] Biography Building materials giant CRH is to move its listing from London to New York, joining a procession of businesses snubbing Britains stock market. 1. Live now . Administrator Rob Sarro did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Instead, my husband was awarded less than minimum Parenting Time. The chancellor also vowed that Germany would continue to support Ukraine with humanitarian and military aid to help the country defend itself against Russias invasion. Its impossible even to articulate the words to describe what he has done. Bakker was appointed chief judge on December 21, 2010. The second item I seek is that the laws that are hurting so many children and parents be reformed. All I ask is of you, as the reader, is a few moments of your time to finish reading this, and in the end help if the ability is there or pass this along to someone who can help. The emails were obtained by Michael Villar, who challenged Koch in the 2020 Republican primary but lost by 17 votes. Koch said she wasn't directly involved in Loew's trial and didn't share the judge's opinions with an assistant prosecutor.  U.S. officials said Blinken and Lavrov chatted for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the G-20 conference in New Delhi. Allegan judge to colleague: 'I'm not your junior associate  emotional whipping boy'. } Tato had attacked a small dog, Piper, while Piper's owners were walking the dog in a residential neighborhood. Kathleen McCarthy Wayne County Hon. The first two months of 2023 have been a rollercoaster for investors. The fact that the presiding judge was commenting on the quality of the investigation while the trial was underway  it's inconceivable to me that that could happen," Lynch said. } German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday called on China to refrain from sending weapons to Russia and instead use its influence to press Moscow for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. The fight was sparked primarily by Cronins hiring of Chris Anderson, an attorney and long-time county worker, as his legal clerk late last year. Staying current is easy with GRBJ's news delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.