Montcalm County Circuit Court Overview
Montcalm County belongs to Michigan's 8th Judicial Circuit, and the 8th Judicial Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court for the area. In plain terms, it handles the cases that carry the highest stakes. That includes felony prosecutions, divorce, custody, child support, paternity, personal protection orders, civil lawsuits over $25,000, and requests for equitable relief such as injunctions. It also hears appeals from the 64B District Court and from state agency decisions. Two judges preside, Ronald J. Schafer and Suzanne Hoseth Kreeger. The court sits at 631 N State Street in Stanton, where the court recorder can be reached at 989-831-7357 and the court administrator at 989-831-3526.
A judicial circuit can cover more than one county, and this one does. The 8th Judicial Circuit also encompasses Ionia County, whose limited-jurisdiction court is the 64A District Court. Inside Montcalm County, the circuit court works alongside a single district court and a probate court, all clustered on North State Street in Stanton. Circuit judges rely on judicial staff to schedule hearings, and the County Clerk serves as the Clerk to the Circuit Court. Because of that arrangement, filings and case files run through the Montcalm County Clerk's office rather than the judges' chambers.
Montcalm County's 8th Judicial Circuit Court page lists the current judges and the court staff who handle scheduling and records.
That contact page is the place to start when you need a judicial assistant, the court recorder, or the administrator for a Montcalm County circuit matter.
Courts of Montcalm County at a Glance
Three trial courts serve Montcalm County, and each keeps a distinct slice of the record. The Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction court, the 64B District Court is the limited-jurisdiction court, and the Probate Court handles estates and protective proceedings. All three sit within a few doors of one another on North State Street in Stanton, which makes it easy to move between counters when a single case touches more than one court.
| Court | Jurisdiction / Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8th Judicial Circuit Court | General jurisdiction: felonies, divorce, custody, support, civil over $25,000, appeals | 631 N State Street, Stanton, MI 48888 | 989-831-7357 |
| 64B District Court | Limited jurisdiction: misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, civil to $25,000, warrants | 617 N State Street, Stanton, MI 48888 | 989-831-7450 |
| Probate Court | Estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, mental-health matters | 625 N State Street, Stanton, MI 48888 | 989-831-7316 |
Montcalm County circuit case files live a block away from the courtroom at 639 N State Street, where the County Clerk, who also serves as Clerk to the Circuit Court, can be reached at 989-831-3520. Those circuit filings and certified copies are handled by the County Clerk and Circuit Court Clerk, while the District Court and Probate Court each run their own clerk operations.
Montcalm County Family Division and Friend of the Court
Family cases run through the Montcalm County Circuit Court's Family Division. That division hears divorce, custody, parenting time, child support, and paternity, and it is where personal protection orders are filed with the County Clerk. The Juvenile Court works within the same family structure and handles juvenile delinquency, child protective proceedings, and adoptions. Juvenile and adoption files carry stronger access limits than ordinary adult cases, so those records are requested through the court rather than searched freely.
The Montcalm County Friend of the Court supports the Family Division on the money-and-children side of a case. It helps establish, enforce, and modify orders for custody, parenting time, child support, and legal domicile, and it conducts investigations, support reviews, and referee hearings when parents cannot resolve a dispute on their own. When a support or parenting-time order is not being followed, the Friend of the Court is usually the office that steps in first.
Note: Adoption and juvenile records are handled by the Family Division and are generally confidential, so contact the court instead of expecting an open online search.
The 64B District Court in Montcalm County
Montcalm County's lower court is the 64B District Court, a limited-jurisdiction trial court that is part of the 8th Circuit. It handles the high-volume, lower-dollar work: adult misdemeanors punishable by no more than one year, traffic and civil infractions, general civil litigation up to $25,000, garnishments, evictions, and land-contract disputes. Small claims are heard here too, for claims that do not exceed $7,000 after the limit rose in 2024. The court also performs civil marriage ceremonies by appointment.
Even the most serious Montcalm County cases usually begin in the District Court. It issues arrest and search warrants, sets bail and accepts bond, and conducts arraignments for both misdemeanors and felonies. For felonies, the District Court holds the probable-cause conference and the preliminary examination before a case is bound over to the Circuit Court. Judge Adam Eggleston presides, with Dennis Magirl serving as magistrate and court administrator, and the court sits at 617 N State Street in Stanton, reachable at 989-831-7450.
Montcalm County's 64B District Court page shows the court's jurisdiction, its e-filing notice, and its division contacts.
From that page the Montcalm County court splits its work into criminal, traffic, and civil divisions, and each division has its own phone option and contact.
The District Court's civil division is where small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, and money claims up to $25,000 are filed and heard. Montcalm County explains venue rules, case categories, and the electronic-filing requirement on its District Court civil division page.
Because these limits sit below the Circuit Court's, a claim just over $25,000 or a felony charge moves up to the general-jurisdiction court rather than staying in the district division.
Circuit Court vs. District Court vs. Probate Court
The quickest way to find a Montcalm County file is to match the case to the court that keeps it. Montcalm County's three trial courts divide the work by dollar amount, by the seriousness of a charge, and by subject matter. The table below lines up the differences that decide where a record lives.
| Circuit Court | 64B District Court | Probate Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | General jurisdiction | Limited jurisdiction | Specialized jurisdiction |
| Civil cases | Over $25,000, equitable relief | Up to $25,000, small claims to $7,000, landlord-tenant | Estates, trusts, protected persons |
| Criminal cases | Felonies after bindover | Misdemeanors, felony arraignment and preliminary exam | None |
| Family and other | Divorce, custody, support, paternity, PPOs, appeals | Traffic, civil infractions, marriages | Guardianship, conservatorship, mental health |
| Records held by | County Clerk / Circuit Court Clerk | District Court clerk | Probate Register |
The overlap that surprises Montcalm County searchers most is criminal. A felony can appear in both the District Court and the Circuit Court record, because it starts below and finishes above once a defendant is bound over.
How a Case Moves Through the Montcalm County System
Michigan's trial courts sit under two appellate courts, and cases climb the ladder in a predictable order. A matter is decided first in a trial court, then reviewed by the Michigan Court of Appeals, and finally, in rare cases the Michigan Supreme Court agrees to hear, at the top of the state system. For a Montcalm County case that starts in the lower court and is appealed all the way up, the path looks like this.
Appeal path: 64B District Court › 8th Judicial Circuit Court › Michigan Court of Appeals › Michigan Supreme Court
Within the trial level, criminal and civil cases each follow their own steps before any appeal. A felony begins in the District Court and, if the evidence supports it, is bound over to the Circuit Court for the rest of the case.
Criminal flow: Arrest › District Court Arraignment › Probable-Cause Conference › Preliminary Examination › Bindover to Circuit Court › Circuit Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Sentencing › Appeal
Civil flow: Complaint Filed › Answer › Discovery › Motions › Mediation › Trial › Judgment › Appeal
Montcalm County Circuit Court Civil and Criminal Records
Montcalm County Circuit Court records fall into two broad groups. On the civil side are divorce and family files, personal protection orders, and civil lawsuits over $25,000, all initiated with the County Clerk. A civil file typically holds the complaint, the answer, motions, proofs of service, notices, orders, the judgment, and any garnishment or satisfaction of judgment that follows. Domestic files add the parenting, custody, and support material tied to the Family Division and the Friend of the Court.
On the criminal side are the felony cases that have been bound over from the District Court. A felony file carries the complaint and warrant, bond information, arraignment and plea entries, docket entries for each hearing, orders, the verdict or plea, sentencing, and the fines, costs, and probation terms attached to the outcome. Anyone can look up a case first through MiCOURT Case Search, and for a fuller walkthrough of searching the county's files, the Montcalm County court records guide covers the portal step by step.
Copies come from the Montcalm County Clerk. The Circuit Court Clerk charges $1 per page for a plain copy and $10 for the first page of a certified copy plus $1 for each additional page. Certified copies are the version courts and agencies accept as official.
Filing and E-Filing in the Montcalm County Courts
Filing has moved online across much of Montcalm County's court system. The 64B District Court was selected by the State Court Administrative Office to become a MiFILE court, and the change arrived in two stages. Attorneys were first required to e-file through MiFILE and TrueFiling under Michigan Court Rule 1.109(G)(3)(f), effective December 5, 2023. Local Administrative Order 2024-03 then made all civil case filings with the 64B District Court electronic, effective October 1, 2024, and that mandate reaches non-attorney filers, not just lawyers.
The court did not leave self-represented filers without a path. A public workstation in the Montcalm County District Court lobby lets anyone submit an electronic filing on site, with instructions and staff help on using the workstation. Court staff can walk a filer through the machine, but they cannot give legal advice or prepare documents, a limit Montcalm County repeats across its filing and probate pages.
Remote appearances follow their own rule. The District Court allows Zoom appearances only with prior authorization, and it publishes the meeting identifiers for its judge and magistrate, Judge Eggleston at 722 946 0898 and the magistrate at 690 147 2398. Circuit filings, by contrast, still run through the County Clerk as Clerk to the Circuit Court, and the public Circuit Court Calendar draws from the court's docketing system, so a hearing will not appear there if the proper notice was never filed.
Important: Do not join a District Court Zoom hearing without prior authorization from the court, because unauthorized remote appearances are not accepted.
Specialty Courts in Montcalm County
Montcalm County runs several problem-solving courts tied to Circuit Court probation, and they offer treatment and close supervision instead of a straight jail sentence for eligible people. Montcalm County's Circuit Court probation and parole page names the programs available locally.
- Adult Recovery Court helps offenders who are dealing with substance and drug-use disorders.
- The Mid-Michigan Regional Sobriety Court is a drunk- and drugged-driving treatment court serving Gratiot, Montcalm, and Clinton Counties, and it can let eligible participants earn a restricted license after installing an ignition interlock device.
- The Mid-Michigan Regional Mental Health Court links offenders who need mental-health services to long-term treatment rather than incarceration.
- The Swift and Sure Sanction Probation Program is an intensive supervision option for higher-risk probationers.
The regional sobriety court began as the Gratiot County Recovery Court in 2011 and grew into a three-county program through cooperation among Gratiot, Clinton, and Montcalm stakeholders. Its official Mid-Michigan Regional Sobriety Court page describes the team-based treatment approach it uses to reduce repeat offenses.
When a Montcalm County Defendant Is in Custody
Many Montcalm County circuit cases involve a defendant who is held while the case moves forward. Bond is usually set at the District Court arraignment, and a felony defendant who cannot post it may stay in the Montcalm County Jail at 649 N State Street through the preliminary examination and bindover. The jail runs an automated line at 989-831-7592 that reports an inmate's court date and status, though updates may not post until after 3 p.m. on weekdays.
Families often need to reach a jailed defendant while the court process plays out. Montcalm County's family and friends information page explains phone-call access, care packages, and the housing-fee note for people in custody.
Those channels matter to a case because a defendant in custody still has to appear, communicate with counsel, and prepare for each Montcalm County Circuit Court date.
Money is the other practical concern. Bond can be paid at the jail lobby kiosk, online through the Express Account service, or by money order mailed to the jail, and the same account funds an inmate's commissary and phone time. Montcalm County's inmate funds and commissary page lists the ordering deadlines and weekly limits.
Keeping those accounts current keeps a defendant reachable, which helps as the case works its way from the District Court up to the Circuit Court.