Hon. J. Cedric Simpson
14A District Court
Ann Arbor,
Michigan
Hon. J. Cedric Simpson was appointed to the bench in 1999, serving as chief judge of the 14A District Court from 2002 to 2007. He has presided over the 14A-1 District Court and periodically over the 14A-4 District Court throughout his tenure on the bench, handling criminal and civil matters. From 2010 to 2022, Judge Simpson was responsible for solely managing the approximately 9,000 yearly civil case filings of the 14A District Court. After earning his juris doctor from the University of Maryland, he returned to Michigan in 1986 and was in private practice until 1999. Judge Simpson is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and a former member of its Board of Commissioners. He is a member and past president of the Washtenaw County Bar Association and a former chairperson of the Race, Ethnic, and Gender Bias Committee. Judge Simpson is also a member and past vice president of the Vanzetti M. Hamilton Bar Association and a fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. He is currently an adjunct professor at Washtenaw Community College and a former professor at Cooley Law School. Judge Simpson is a member of numerous civic and charitable organizations and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ypsilanti Community Junior Athletic Award for Man of the Year in 2000, the Humane Society of Huron Valley’s Animal Humanitarian Award in 2002, the Police Officer Association of Michigan Jurist of the Year in 2002, the Father Bernard J. O'Conner Award from the Dispute Resolution Center in 2004, the Ann Arbor Club of the National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women’s Club Award for Outstanding Achievement in his profession in 2007, the Thomas M. Cooley Law School Integrity in the Community Honoree in 2011, the Washtenaw Association for Justice Award for Professional Integrity and Community Outreach in 2013, and the Vanzetti Bar Association's Racial Justice and Harmony Award in 2018.
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