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CHIEF JUDGE STEPHEN CARRAS

Chief Judge Carras on Building a Sense of Community by Rebuilding a Courthouse

One could definitely say that Chief Judge Stephen Carras, of the 42nd Circuit Court in Midland County, has made his mark on his community, both figurative-ly and literally.

Building on a “strong, innate desire to be a public ser-vant,” Chief Judge Carras has established a career that has incorporated legal service, community outreach, and a revamped courthouse.

He first entered the legal field as an attorney in 1995, working for his family’s law office. There he learned important listening skills that would help him better understand the litigants he would later face from the judge’s bench.

“You have to be able to listen, to explain, and to un-derstand how the law affects these people, and that’s how you will make your decisions,” he explained.

Following his work as a private practice attorney, Judge Carras was elected to the district court in 2006 and was later appointed to the circuit court in 2013 by Governor Snyder. The Michigan Supreme Court appointed him Chief Judge in 2013.

His favorite part about being a judge?

“The ability to have an impact and play a role in bring-ing justice to the litigants is the most important and can be the most satisfying part of being a judge,” he shared.

In addition, Chief Judge Carras has also had an impact on many other parts of the legal process in Midland County, including implementing the electronic signing of warrants, streamlining the court collections pro-cess, and coordinating the circuit court and district court collections processes. But perhaps his most prominent achievement is the renovation of the courthouse itself.

Judge Carras spearheaded the renovation project that transformed the old Midland courthouse into an architectural display that captures the history of the town itself.

“The courthouse built in 1925 was built to be a place that Midland could be proud of,” he remarked. “We wanted to not only make sure the new building was not only functional, but that the architectural style was consistent with the main (original) building. No courthouse is built like this anymore.”

Chief Judge Carras

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CHIEF JUDGE CARRAS

The result was a structure that displays murals and historical architecture. The original courthouse built in 1925 was funded primarily by Herbert Henry Dow, the founder of Dow Chemical, with his own funds. The renovations and new addition were funded by local foundations in partnership with Midland County: The Herbert H. & Grace A. Foundation, the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation, the Dow Chemical Foun-dation, the Alden & Vada Dow Family Foundation, and the Michigan Base-ball Foundation.

Although Judge Carras was the driving force behind the project, he is quick to put the rec-ognition on others who helped make the project a reality.

“Private and public cooperation for the common good; that’s the story here,” he said. “You showcase what you value, and I think it’s great that we can say that our community values law and order and access to justice.”

The renovated courthouse is now a place that Judge Carras sees as a gathering place, a place with open doors that promotes trust within the community.

Although the renovation is one of Judge Carras’s big-

gest—and most visible—accomplishments, his proud-est achievement is the start of the MiHOPE program in Midland, which is a version of the Swift and Sure Sanctions Probations Program. He first heard about

this concept at a judi-cial seminar from the judge who originated the Hawaii’s Oppor-tunity Probation with Enforcement program.

As he listened to the judge speak, he knew he wanted to start a similar program in Michigan.

“When I first heard about it,” he recalled, “I said to myself, ‘This is right.’”

After writing the grant in 2015, Judge Carras has grown Midland’s MiHOPE program from five participants to more than 50. The program focuses on prison diversion by providing people who have a history of probation violations with an opportunity

to complete their required probation while healing themselves from drug addictions, finding employ-ment, and beginning a new lifestyle.

“If it doesn’t turn their life around, at least it’s leading them in a new direction. They will be better off after having participated in this program,” he said. “The key elements are just predictable, consistent, swift sanc-

Chief Judge Carras (center) and stakeholders break ground in March 2017.

Midland Courthouse, 2nd Floor renovation underway. (Photo credit: Midland Daily News)

SU CC E SS S TO R I E S: H OW C I R CU I T CO U R T S WO R K TO S E RV E T H E PE O PLE O F M I C H I G AN PAG E 9

tions, and I’m really excited about the results we’ve seen so far.”

Judge Carras also says the program is very important in helping keep people out of prison and in the com-munity, which is a large burden lifted off the court system and the taxpayers.

With such an active role in the court system of Mid-land County, it is no surprise that he also plays an active role outside the courthouse. As the Chair of the Midland Center for the Arts, he continues the work of his grandfather, Alden Dow, who was one of the cen-ter’s founders and the architect who designed it.

“His goal was for this to be a place where people could come together on a community-wide scale to see art, to participate in art, and to appreciate art in all its forms,” Chief Judge Carras shared.

Judge Carras has continued to play a role in bringing

the arts to Midland for the last 12 years, and says he believes it helps improve their citizen’s quality of life.

The arts center now serves as a museum and perfor-mance center, holding events such as symphonies, theatre shows, and festivals.

As he continues his work in the arts center, he also chooses to participate in his community in other ways as well, as he feels it is important that judges stay active outside the courthouse.

“As a judge I feel it is important to be visible, so when I can be a volunteer and serve the community in a different way, it helps me to be seen as human, someone who is trustworthy and responsible,” he explained. “We have a duty as judges to inspire con-fidence in the system, and I think the things we do should bear that out.”

(l to r) Chief Judge Carras and Mike Whiting of the Dow Foundation cut the ribbon to open the renovated courthouse in June 2018, alongside Attorney General Bill Schuette, former Midland Circuit & current federal Judge Tom Ludington,

and Mark Bone, Midland County Chair of the Board of Commissioners.

CHIEF JUDGE CARRAS