Judge Shelia R. Johnson was elected in November
2002 and is the first African American to serve as Judge in the 46th
District Court. Prior to assuming the bench, Judge Johnson was an
attorney with over eighteen years of legal experience in both State
and Federal Courts. Judge Johnson was in private practice in Southfield
where she specialized in both civil and criminal litigation, including
divorce, child custody, probate, contract, negligence and intentional
torts, federal civil rights, juvenile law, traffic, criminal felonies
and misdemeanors.
Prior to going into private practice in 1990, Judge Johnson was a
practicing attorney at the prominent Detroit law firm of Jaffe, Snider,
Raitt & Heuer, where she specialized in commercial litigation.
Before that, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Benjamin F.
Gibson, United States District Court, Western District of Michigan. Her
tenure at the District Court also included time spent at the United
States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Judge Johnson has also
worked as a small claims mediator in the 46th District Court, and as an
arbitrator in insurance cases. She further served as a legal analyst on
the radio talk show program, “Speaking of Sports,” where she addressed
legal issues concerning athletes in professional sports.
Among her community and civil affiliations is the South Oakland
Chapter of the NAACP, where she serves as an Executive Board member and
has served as a Board member of the Horizons Upward Bound Program.
Judge Johnson currently serves as a Board member for Integrative Human
Services, a non-profit organization which provides counseling, training
and education to at-risk youth and families. She has formerly participated
in the Oakland/Livingston Legal Aid Pro Bono Program.
Judge Johnson is a member of the State Bar, the Michigan District
Judges Association, Oakland County District Judges Association,
Association of Black Judges of Michigan, Oakland County’s D. Augustus
Straker Bar Association, Wolverine Bar Association, National
Association of Women Business Owners, Women Lawyers of Michigan, Black
Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and the National Bar Association.
Judge Johnson is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University
of Michigan Law School, where she was the first African American
elected President of the Law School Senate and delivered the
commencement address to her graduating class. Born and raised in
Detroit, she has been a resident of Southfield for 15 years.
Staff
Honorable Shelia R. Johnson
Karen Smith, Judicial Clerk
Donald Baldwin, Court Officer
Jeseca Woodard, Court Reporter
Contact Numbers
Main Number: (248) 796-5810
Court Reporter: (248) 796-5811