WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – Washtenaw County Trial Judge Archie Brown will be stepping away from his judicial bench this summer and retiring ahead of the end of his last term in office.
Brown announced Friday, May 20 that he will be retiring from his seat effective Aug. 1 after serving 26 years on the bench, according to a notice from Washtenaw County Chief Judge Carol Kuhnke.
“I am truly grateful to the citizens of Washtenaw County for the honor to serve them as their Circuit Judge these last 23 plus years,” Brown said. “It is now time for my wife and me to experience the next chapter of our life.”
Brown was appointed by then Governor John Engler to the 15th District Court in March of 1997 and subsequently was appointed to the Washtenaw County Circuit Court in March of 1999.
He was then reelected multiple times to serve the six-year term until now where, due to judicial age restrictions, he was ineligible to serve another term.
Judge Brown last practiced law with Dever and Dew Professional Corporation before his tenure with the courts and also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law for approximately 10 years at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
“We at the Washtenaw County Trial Court wish Judge Brown the best as he plans his retirement from the court,” Kuhnke said.
Upon his retirement, the Governor will have the option to either appoint someone to fill the seat immediately or keep the seat vacant until a new judge is elected in the November general election, Kuhnke said.
The court is currently developing plans to split Brown’s caseload among the county’s other circuit court judges, she said.
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