Normally I do not weigh in on cases before they have had their day in court, but, knowing the high integrity and caliber demonstrated by Prosecuting Attorney Mike Villar, I’m doing something different today.
Tonight, there is no better description for Allegan County’s judicial system than “dumpster fire.”
A man suspected and ultimately caught with child abusive materials, photoshopped with faces of children he knows, was granted phone access to those very same children by Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker prior to the conclusion of a child protective services investigation and an eventual arrest.
The case began in June 2025, with the man ultimately being arraigned July 31, 2025 on eight felony counts involving the possession and creation of abusive child material, with images doctored to include real children from his own social circles.
But despite the severity of the crimes, Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker allowed this individual to maintain supervised phone contact with children while CPS “completed its investigation.”
One source close to a Allegan County custody battle had this to say:
Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker completely took away my brother’s parenting rights when she wasn’t even part of the case. What is even going on here?
Two Standards of Justice
This ruling is an outlier for Judge Bakker. While she grants phone access to an accused predator, she has in the past denied parenting time to parents based solely on unsubstantiated allegations.
In multiple cases reviewed by Clutch, Bakker:
- Denied all contact for months based on unverified CPS complaints
- Continued prosecution of cases that had been reversed on appeal
- Issued confidentiality restrictions against parents who spoke out
- Fast-tracked custody decisions while ignoring key due process violations
A Conflict of Interest?
At the heart of this judicial behavior may be an uncomfortable truth: Judge Bakker has long-standing, deep ties to Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center, an Allegan-based nonprofit that regularly refers cases to CPS and law enforcement. Bakker is listed as a past collaborator and has participated in advisory panels and fundraising events for the organization, blurring the line between impartial adjudicator and institutional ally. She is also the founder of Sylvia’s Place, an organization alleged to have left multiple women worse off rather than better.
Safe Harbor is supposed to advocate for child safety. But when a judge with strong ties to the organization presides over CPS-driven cases, the risk of bias is undeniable. In fact, Safe Harbor’s materials often cite “judicial partnerships” as part of their model, yet those partnerships are never disclosed in court to the parents whose lives hang in the balance.
Why This Matters
When a judge allows a confirmed possessor of child abuse images to speak to children but outright denies innocent parents even the right to say goodnight, to send them gifts, or even an email, it’s not just a judicial error. It’s a betrayal of the very system that claims to protect kids.
The damage here is twofold:
- It outright harms children directly by allowing access to someone already proven to pose a danger.
- It further destroys what little public faith was left in family court, reinforcing the belief that Allegan County judges are about control, not justice.
Time for Accountability
This isn’t about one ruling. It’s about a broken system where connections and perceptions outweigh facts and safety. It’s about a judge who continues to pursue cases out of alignment with legal precedent and public interest and whose conflicts of interest go unchecked.
What You Can Do
- Report Judge Bakker to the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission
- If you’re an Allegan County resident, court watch, speak out, and get to the polls. Things will never change if people do not act.
