Donald Shelton

Donald Shelton
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Current Court Information:
22nd Circuit Court, Michigan
Service:
Active:	2/1990 - 1/1/2015
Chief:	2010 - Current
Past position:	Partner, Bishop and Shelton, P.C.
Past term:	1978 - 1990
Personal History
Born:	6/28/1944
Bachelors:	Western Michigan University
Law School:	University of Michigan School of Law
Grad. School:	Eastern Michigan University (M.A.); University of Nevada (Ph.D.)

Donald E. Shelton is the Chief Judge for the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County, Michigan. He has served on this court since February of 1990 and became Chief Judge in 2010. He has also served as the Chief Judge of the Washtenaw County Probate Court since 2010 and is the presiding judge of the Juvenile Court. On November 4, 2008, he was re-elected to his current 6 year term, which ends on January 1, 2015.

Biography and Education

Shelton was born in Jackson, MI on June 28, 1944. He received his B.A. degree in Social Science from Western Michigan University in 1966 and his J.D. degree from the University of Michigan School of Law in 1969. He went on to earn an M.A. degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Eastern Michigan University in 2007 and a Ph.D. in Judicial Studies from the University of Nevada in 2010.

Legal career

Shelton began his career in 1970 as a staff attorney for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate, 3rd Infantry Division in Germany. He then served as an attorney for the litigation division of the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C. from 1973 to 1974. He then returned to Michigan where he worked as a partner of the Ann Arbor firms of Forsythe, Campbell, Vandenberg, Clevenger & Bishop (from 1974 to 1978) and Bishop and Shelton, P.C. (from 1978 to 1990). He became a Circuit Court judge in February of 1990. In addition to his legal career, he also served in the City of Saline, MI as a Councilmember (1976-1978), Mayor Pro Tem (1977-1978) and Mayor (1978-1986). He has also taught as adjunct faculty for Eastern Michigan University since 1997.

While on the Circuit Court bench, he served as Chief Judge Pro Tem from 1992 to 1996 and from 2004 to 2009. He was the Presiding Judge of the Civil/Criminal Division from 1997 to 2009. He also served on the Washtenaw County Probate Court as Chief Judge Pro Tem (2004-2009) and Chief Judge (since 2010) and has been the Supervising Judge of the Juvenile Court since 2001.

External links

• Selected Works of Donald E. Shelton: A Study of Juror Expectations and Demands Concerning Scientific Evidence: Does the “CSI Effect” Exist?

References