On July 21, 2025, the Michigan Supreme Court announced the appointment of Christopher Burnett to the 57th District Court in Allegan County, following the resignation of Judge William Baillargeon.
Appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Burnett will serve a partial term from August 4, 2025, through January 1, 2027.
But while the official statement celebrates Burnett’s private practice background and Juris Doctor from MSU College of Law, it leaves out a pattern of misconduct allegations that have quietly followed him from his time as a public defender; allegations that now raise serious concerns about his fitness for the bench.
Allegations from the Public Defense Trenches
Multiple individuals familiar with Burnett’s work as a public defender claim that he is consistently late for hearings, appearing confused.
Many also allege that he routinely pressured clients into accepting plea deals often under duress and without a clear explanation of their rights or of the collateral consequences of a conviction.
According to one former client who spoke with Clutch Justice on condition of anonymity:
“He told me it was the best I was going to get, that I’d lose at trial, and that if I didn’t take the deal right then, I’d regret it. He said it was only going to get worse for me if I didn’t take it.”
That same defendant had to fight Burnett to challenge an unconstitutional arrest. At the defendant’s insistence, Burnett finally did his job and the charges were dropped.
Others describe similar interactions, with one alleging that Burnett failed to file pretrial motions and discouraged his client from even considering a trial.
These are not isolated complaints.
Advocacy organizations in southwest Michigan have taken note of Burnett’s name in multiple cases flagged for review due to questionable plea tactics.
A regional caseworker familiar with Allegan County said, “Burnett was known for clearing dockets, not for fighting cases.”
A Front Row Seat to Unconstitutional Arrests
Burnett’s proximity to prosecutorial, judicial, and police misconduct extends far beyond plea negotiations.
He reportedly had intimate knowledge of what several sources describe as unlawful arrests orchestrated by then Judge Roberts Kengis and Prosecutor Myrene Koch, using former Allegan County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Haverdink as an enforcer, as he served on the case of a wrongfully charged individual as a public defender.
Haverdink acted on vague directives to detain individuals without warrants or probable cause practices that civil liberties experts argue violate Fourth Amendment protections. Burnett, sources allege, was not only aware of these tactics but failed to raise concerns in cases where he was defense counsel.
He never brought them up in any court filing despite having an obligation to report misconduct per the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct.
Instead, Burnett saw the case file and said nothing; that’s worse because he attempted to talk his clients into bad plea deals even after their constitutional rights had already been trampled upon.
That’s not just laziness, that’s outright being an accomplice.
The Silence of the Judiciary
Burnett’s judicial appointment comes at a time when Michigan courts are under growing scrutiny for a lack of transparency, conflicts of interest, and disproportionate outcomes in rural and under-resourced counties like Allegan.
Critics question whether appointing someone with Burnett’s shady background sends the wrong message; that loyalty to the system matters more than justice for the accused.
The public deserves to know if a future judge once discouraged clients from going to trial just to keep the machine running smoothly and protect his own career above all else.
It’s not just about the past; it’s about whether that same thinking will influence decisions from the bench.
It also stresses the need for changing the judicial appointment process in Michigan, because clearly Governors are either failing to vet their choices or know of their ethical missteps and do not care.
Next Steps: Judicial Tenure Commission Complaints Ahead
As Burnett prepares to don the robe, civil rights organizations and legal watchdogs are already compiling documentation to submit formal complaints to the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission and the State Bar of Michigan.
Now that Christopher Burnett is an appointed Judge, he is under JTC purview.
Clutch Justice is proud to report we will be submitting the very first complaint and tracking it in real time.
There should be serious discussion about whether Burnett’s appointment should stand as it further risks undermining public trust in the judiciary. It’s already hanging by a thread thanks to Michigan’s rampant judicial misconduct.
Comment is pending with the Michigan Supreme Court.
For now, the citizens of Allegan County will be expected to put their trust in a judge with an unethical past and a growing list of questions; the answers to which may determine whether justice is truly served in Allegan County.
