Judge
Washtenaw County Trial
Court
Ann Arbor , Michigan
A circuit judge since 1990, Judge Donald E. Shelton is now the presiding
judge of the Washtenaw County Trial Court's Civil/Criminal Division.
Previously he had served as chief judge pro tempore of the 22nd Circuit
Court from 1992 -1995. Judge Shelton has a distinguished record of public
service including: serving as a member of the Eastern Michigan University
Board of Regents from 1987-1990, serving as mayor of the City of Saline
from 1978-1986, and chairing the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
(SEMCOG) from 1983-1985.
Judge Shelton
is the author of several legal texts, has had numerous articles published
in professional publications, and has regularly written and lectured
for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Judge Shelton has published
numerous articles on the use of technology in the judicial system and
is the Technology Editor of American Bar Association’s Judges’ Journal.
Born in Jackson, Judge Shelton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Western Michigan University in 1966, and a Juris Doctor degree from
the University of Michigan Law School in 1969. He served as a captain
in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1969-1974,
earning the Meritorious Service Medal in 1974. Prior to joining the
circuit bench, Judge Shelton was a partner in an Ann Arbor law firm.
In 1986, he was given the prestigious "Attorney of the Year" Award by
the Washtenaw County Chapter of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association,
and in 1992 he received that organization's Justice Blair Moody "Judge
of the Year" Award. In 1994, he was nominated as a candidate for the
Michigan Supreme Court.
