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Records of the professional career and judicial rulings of Donald A. Johnston III, judge on Michigan's 17th Circuit Court and former judge on the state's 61st District Court. Includes summaries of cases brought before Johnston for sentencing in the circuit court, the judge's notes on sentences levied in each case, files related to appellate court proceedings, and correspondence.

The Donald A. Johnston papers document extensively criminal court proceedings in Kent County, particularly between 1989 and 2012. A substantial breadth of materials pertaining to trials brought before Johnston for more than twenty years offer insight into crime rates, criminal law, and the nature of sentences levied against convicted persons in the greater Grand Rapids area. Documents in the Johnston files also follow the progress of trials later referred to appellate courts in Michigan, including both the Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court, as well as sentences with which Johnston disagreed. Finally, Johnston's correspondence captures the interactions of the judge with legal professionals and the public at large.