Judge Michael Schipper

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The Honorable Michael Schipper was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the Barry County District Court in July of 2011.  He was elected by the people of Barry County in 2012 and is serving a 6 year term.

Judge Schipper grew up in Barry County (Middleville).  He graduated with an economics degree from Hope College in 1985.  While at Hope, Judge Schipper played football, spent an honors semester in Washington D.C. interning for the American Bar Association and the National Association of Manufacturers, was President of the Baker Scholars and Mortar Board.  He then attended The Ohio State University College of Law graduating in 1988.

Judge Schipper began his legal career in Grand Rapids with the law firm of Clary Nantz Wood Hoffius Rankin and Cooper in their civil litigation unit.  During his tenure at Clary Nantz he also acted as the prosecutor for the city of Kentwood.  In 1990 he accepted a position at the United States Attorney’s Office in Grand Rapids and was there until 2010.  During his first 12 years he practiced in the civil division where he handled a variety of cases including tort, medical malpractice and employment discrimination.  He received several awards including a personal thank you letter from Attorney General Janet Reno.

In 2002, he moved to the criminal division and began prosecuting violent crimes and large white collar crimes.  He received awards for his prosecution of cases from the Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Postal Service, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Internal Revenue Service.  In 2006 he successfully tried the largest case that had ever gone to trial in the Western District of Michigan, a $20 million dollar Ponzi scheme case with over 600 victims.  For this he was awarded the prestigious Case of the Year award.

Judge Schipper’s most cherished accomplishments, however, come from his work with kids.  He has coached sports for over 20 years.  He currently coaches both football and swimming at Hastings High School.  He also is a regular speaker at all of the schools in Barry County and speaks about topics such as teen crime, leadership, the proper role of a judge in our system of government and the Constitution.

He lives in Middleville with his wife of 31 years and has three children in college.