32A DISTRICT COURT

 

19617 Harper Avenue
Harper Woods, MI  48225
(313) 343-2590
(313) 343-2594 fax

 

Hours:  Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

THIS IS A SCHOOL PROJECT - THIS IS NOT A VALID WEBSITE.

The court is located on Harper Avenue between Vernier and Moross.  It is at the Allard exit (#224B) of the I94 expressway.

The 32A District Court was established January 3, 1979 and serves a population of approximately 14,254.  The City of Harper Woods is only 2.63 square miles.  The Court has jurisdiction over criminal misdemeanors, civil cases in which the amount in dispute is $25,000 or less, parking violations, traffic violations, landlord-tenant disputes and small claim matters.  In addition, the Court has initial jurisdiction on criminal felony cases for the purpose of determining probable cause.

JUDICIAL SERVICES

Roger J. La Rose has served as the District Judge since January 1, 1979.  He graduated from University of Detroit in 1967 and from Detroit College of Law in 1973.  He has been a faculty member of the Michigan Judicial Institute (MJI) for several years.  Each year he teaches criminal pretrial issues, fact-finding, and trial process at the New Judges Seminar.  He has taught Implementing the New Drunk Driving Law in Michigan and Adjudicating Traffic Offenses for MJI.  He is the first Judge in the State to use Electronic Monitoring of prisoners due to jail overcrowding and he has served as the chair of the Modern Technology in the Courts Committee of the National Conference of Special Court Judges.  He has also served as President of the Michigan District Judges Association, and Chair of the Judicial Conference of the State Bar of Michigan.


 

COURT ADMINISTRATION

Marcy Ruggirello is Court Administrator/Clerk for the 32A District Court, having served in that role since March 11, 2009. Prior to that she was the criminal clerk for the 32A District Court, serving in that capacity for 29 years.  She holds an Associate's Degree in Business Information Systems from Macomb Community College. She is a member of the Southeast Michigan Court Administrators Association. She is CEO and L.E.I.N. certified.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 
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Volunteer Probation Committee - Is designed to assist the Probation Department with processing and monitoring cases.
 

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Mediation Committee - The court has referred property disputes, business and community issues, small claims, contracts, and neighborhood differences to the program.
 

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Misdemeanor Program - This class is for the criminal offender who needs to assess why and how he/she reached this position in his/her life.  The class is a mechanism for the criminal offender to rethink the basics through self-evaluation strategies.  By the end of the class, the offender should be better able to understand conflicts arising between his/her behavior and value system.  The class is $50.00 and lasts six hours.
 

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C.H.E.C. Program - The Court Holiday Enforcement for Communities Program is designed to keep convicted high-risk drunk drivers from endangering the public by drinking and driving and eliminating alcohol related domestic assaults.
 

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MADD Victim Impact Panel - Was implemented in September of 1999.  The victim impact panel is the only one of its kind in the Detroit suburbs.  This program gives the convicted drinking and driving offender the opportunity to go beyond their own "bad luck" and re-focus on the severity of the consequences of drunk driving to others.  This shows the underage drinker that poor decision making can lead to an even worse outcome.  The program is one hour long with two videos and a speaker telling a story of a family loss due to a drunk driver.  A $20.00 donation to MADD is requested.
 

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Urban Law Clinic - This program was through the University of Detroit Mercy Law School.  Law students were able to council and represent, before the judge, indigent members of our community.  The students who participated received course credit and valuable trial experience.  This clinic ended in 2002.
 

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Youth Advisory Committee - Selected junior and seniors of the Harper Woods High School assist the Judge in selecting topics to be covered at school seminars or town hall meetings.  They also participate in discussion relating to schools/community concerns, assist at school seminars, compile surveys, learn leadership techniques, and learn about the legal system.

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Last modified: 12/09/03