75th DISTRICT COURT JUDGE MICHAEL D. CARPENTER
Michael D. Carpenter was born and raised in Hillsdale and Jackson County, Michigan. Judge Carpenter was the first in his family to attend college; graduating with honors from Western Michigan University with a Bachelors in Business in 1988 and then Thomas M. Cooley Law School graduating Cum Laude in 1994, with a Juris Doctorate.
After graduating from WMU, Judge Carpenter married his High School Sweetheart, Terra and moved to Midland, Michigan. Together, they have three daughters.
Judge Carpenter clerked for the Honorable Thomas Beale and then the Honorable Thomas Ludington and then joined the law firm of Mathieu & Lee where he was an associate until starting his own firm in 1999.
In 2004 Carpenter ran for the Midland County Prosecuting Attorney positon and was re-elected unopposed in 2008 and 2012.
In January of 2014, Carpenter was appointed to serve as the 75th District Court Judge of Midland County. He has been re-elected since that time unopposed.
Throughout his career, Judge Carpenter has been committed to this community by volunteering with various organizations and by serving on their executive boards, including: Board of Directors for PAAM (Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan), Shelter House Advisory Board, President for the local Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, Health and Human Services Collaborative Board, Senior Services, and the Midland Evangelical Free Church Board of Elders. Judge Carpenter has also served in many different capacities for the MDJA (Michigan District Judges Association), including chairman of the subcommittee for technology.
Judge Carpenter continues to teach legal update classes to Law Enforcement agencies around the state, as well as various departments around the country.