The Numbers Tell a Story of Overworked Judges and Stretched Thin Justice

Kalamazoo County courts are operating at 119% of their recommended capacity according to Michigan's own State Court Administrative Office. This is the first time in over a decade that Kalamazoo has been flagged for judicial overload, and a new civic transparency project is making the data publicly accessible.

The 2025 Judicial Resources Recommendations report reveals that Kalamazoo County needs 17.81 judges to appropriately handle its caseload. The courts currently have only 15 judges, creating an outstanding need of nearly 3 positions.

The State Court Administrative Office estimates that the 9th Circuit, Kalamazoo County Probate, and 8th District Courts need 17.81 judges to appropriately handle the workload. These courts currently have 15 judges with an outstanding need of 2.81.

The resulting workload per judge would drop to 105% if the recommended judgeships were added. Currently, however, the system is pushing at 119% capacity.

What This Means for Defendants, Families, and Victims

When judges are overloaded, the consequences ripple through every aspect of the justice system. Defendants face longer wait times for hearings, families endure delayed custody determinations, and victims of crime experience prolonged proceedings.

The 9th Circuit Court alone handles 6,387 cases in 2024, including appeals, criminal, civil, and family matters. The 8th District Court processes 41,998 cases covering traffic, civil infractions, and all other matters. The Probate Court manages 1,430 cases related to estates, guardianships, and other probate matters.

Total case filings across all three Kalamazoo County courts in 2024: 49,815 cases

This is up from 43,521 cases in 2023 and represents a significant increase from 40,829 cases in 2021. The workload has been steadily climbing for years.

The State's Recommendation

Michigan's State Court Administrative Office has been clear about what needs to happen:

  • 9th Circuit Court (C09): 6 judges, needs 1 additional judgeship
  • 8th District Court (D08): 6 judges, needs 1 additional judgeship
  • Probate Court (P39): 3 judges, no change needed

The legislature did take action in 2022 with PA 277, adding a new circuit judgeship effective 2025. However, this only addresses part of the problem. The state still recommends two more judgeships across the system.

The courts need 17.81 judges. They have 15.

This is the first time Kalamazoo County has appeared in SCAO overload reports in over a decade. The county was not flagged in 2019, 2015, or 2013 reports.

Case Filing Trends Over the Years

The data shows a pattern of increasing caseloads:

  • 2025: 5,883 Circuit cases
  • 2024: 49,815 total cases across all courts
  • 2023: 43,521 total cases
  • 2022: 43,204 total cases
  • 2021: 40,829 total cases
  • 2020: 41,115 total cases
  • 2019: 53,759 total cases

The 8th District Court has consistently handled the largest volume, with case filings ranging from 33,697 in 2021 to 45,507 in 2019. This court handles traffic, civil infractions, and all other matters that do not fall under the Circuit or Probate courts.

The Transparency Gap

This data has been buried in government PDFs for years. A new civic initiative called the Kalamazoo Transparency Act is extracting the information from official reports and making it available to the public through structured data and open API endpoints.

The project operates on a simple mission: collect data from government PDFs, publish it in accessible formats, track outcomes, and advocate for transparency.

The data is buried in government PDFs. We pull it out.

This approach allows community members, journalists, and advocates to actually use the information rather than just reading it.

What Can Happen Next

The state court administrative office has made its recommendation clear. The question now is whether the Michigan Legislature will act on it. With nearly three judges needed and the system operating at 119% capacity, the pressure for legislative action is building.

The Kalamazoo Transparency Act website provides the following resources for those who want to track this issue:

  • Main site: https://www.kalamazootransparencyact.com
  • 9th Circuit Court data: https://www.kalamazootransparencyact.com/9th-circuit
  • 8th District Court data: https://www.kalamazootransparencyact.com/8th-district