Changing course Judge to direct school criminal justice program

– Photo by Robert Chase
 

Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Donald E. Shelton has been appointed associate professor and Director of the Criminal Justice Program at the University of Michigan-Dearborn pending approval by the board of regents.

The appointment is effective in the fall semester and Shelton plans to retire from the bench effective Sept. 1.

Shelton has been a Washtenaw County Trial Court judge for 24 years and had been scheduled to leave the bench when his term expired on Jan. 1, 2015.

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Studies is one of the fastest growing and most popular degree programs at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, according to school officials.

The program prepares students for careers in law, justice, public administration, policy analysis, public security and for graduate work in the social and behavioral sciences.

  During his judicial tenure, Shelton served as chief judge of the trial court from 2010-13 and is also the presiding judge of the trial court’s civil/criminal and juvenile divisions.

Born in Jackson, Shelton earned his undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University, a juris doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School, a master’s degree in criminology from Eastern Michigan University and a Ph.D. in judicial studies from the University of Nevada.

Shelton has been an adjunct criminology and political science professor at EMU since 1997, and an adjunct professor at Cooley Law School. He has written for and lectured at numerous academic and professional organizations throughout the U.S.

Shelton served as a member of the EMU board of regents from 1987-90, mayor of the city of Saline from 1978-86 and chairman the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) from 1983-85.

A long-time resident of the Saline area, Shelton also has served as a member of the city's planning commission, urban design commission, economic development corporation and tax increment finance authority.

In 2007, Shelton received the Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Public Servant Award presented by the State Bar of Michigan.

––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available