The Michigan Supreme Court re-appointed Judge Al Butzbaugh as chief judge of the Berrien County Trial Court last week.
Butzbaugh, who has served as chief judge since 2007, will have his term expire at the end of 2012.
The Supreme Court also appointed Judge Thomas Nelson as Butzbaugh’s successor as chief judge beginning January 2013.
Butzbaugh, an Oronoko Township resident, was a private practice lawyer for 37 years before he was appointed judge. During that time he served as president of the 35,000-member State Bar of Michigan, and was honored with the Roberts P. Hudson Award, the state’s most prestigious award given to a lawyer.
In August, Butzbuagh was featured in Michigan Lawyer’s Weekly as one of the 12 most influential lawyers/judges in Michigan over the past 25 years.
Nelson is a lifelong Berrien County resident and has served as judge for 17 years, during which he has been presiding judge of the court’s Family Division for 15 years and the Chief Judge Pro Tempore for nine years.
Nelson was involved in the development of the juvenile justice taskforce, the truancy academy and the community restorative board.