Judges and Court Staff

  1. Richard D. Kuhn, Jr.

    Chief Judge
    Judge Kuhn is a lifelong resident of the Waterford area. He is a graduate of Waterford Kettering High School, Oakland University and the Detroit College of Law - Michigan State University. Prior to being elected to the Waterford bench in 2002, Judge Kuhn was a practicing attorney for 13 years. Additionally, he represented Waterford Township on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners from 1983-1990. Judge Kuhn is Co-Chairperson for the Waterford Coalition for Youth, a member of the Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce, Co-Chairperson of Blessings in a Backpack (Waterford) and an Annual Sponsor of the Waterford Foundation for Public Education. He is also a member of the Michigan District Judges Association and the State Bar of Michigan. In 2004, Judge Kuhn implemented a Teen Court program at the 51st District Court, a juvenile diversion program which allows high school students to participate as jury members and lawyers, giving them a taste of how the legal system works. Judge Kuhn and his wife have four children, two attending college and two attending Waterford Schools. He and his family are members of Central United Methodist Church in Waterford.



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    Todd A. Fox

    Chief Judge Pro Tempore
    Judge Todd A. Fox grew up in Waterford Township and graduated from Waterford Kettering High School in June of 1985.  Judge Fox obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration from Grand Valley State University in 1989 and then attended Detroit College of Law where he obtained a Juris Doctor in 1993.  Before being elected to serve as a 51st District Court Judge in November of 2016, Judge Fox was in private practice as a Trial Attorney(Licensed in Michigan and Colorado) (1993-2016), a Real Estate Broker (1998-2016) (Licensed in Michigan and North Carolina), a Michigan District Court Officer (1992-1994), an Oakland County Circuit Court Judicial Clerk (1991-1992) and a private firm Law Clerk (1990-1991).   Judge Fox served Waterford Township as a member of the Waterford Township Board of Trustees (2000-2008) and served on numerous local boards during his tenure. Judge Fox is a member of the Waterford Lions Club, Waterford Elks and the Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce. Judge Fox is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Michigan District Judges Association and Oakland County District Judges Association.  Judge Fox is married to Chasi Fox and they have four children.


Magistrates
Magistrates of the 51st District Court serve in a back-up capacity as the docket necessitates and provide assistance with after-hours search warrants.

  1. Russell Anderson

    Russell C. Anderson was appointed as a Magistrate at the 51st District Court on January 13th, 2015. His parents are the late Honorable Robert Charles Anderson and Francile Anderson and he has three siblings: Sally, Sue, and Robert. Russell Anderson has been married to Kristi Anderson since November 28, 1993 and is a lifelong resident of the Township of Waterford, Michigan.

    He graduated from Pontiac Central High School in 1985 and attended Michigan State University, graduating in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. Attended the University of Innsbruck, Austria and completed the Program of Studies on Global Legal Issues in 1992. He received his Jurist Doctor in 1993 from the Detroit College of Law. Russell Anderson joined the law firm of Schmidt, Isgrigg and McMillen in 1993 and is presently a Partner at the same firm, now known as Schmidt, Isgrigg, Anderson & Miller, PLLC. located in Waterford, Michigan.

    Current Member of:
    State Bar of Michigan
    Oakland County Bar Association
    American Trial Lawyers Association
    Oakland County Bar Fellow
    Waterford Chamber of Commerce


  2. Sandra Aspinall

    Sandra Aspinall was appointed as Magistrate at the 51st District Court in 2007. She is a 1993 graduate of the University of Michigan and obtained her Juris Doctorate in 2001 from Wayne State University, graduating cum laude. She was inducted into the Order of the Coif in 2002. Ms. Aspinall served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for five years. Ms. Aspinall has a solo practice specializing in adult and juvenile criminal defense, as well as child abuse and neglect matters. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Michigan Center for Civic Education, and the Incorporated Society of Irish-American Lawyers.

Supervisors

Administration

  1. Jen Thom

    Jen Thom is the Court Administrator of the 51st District Court. She joined the 51st District Court’s probation department in August 2004 after working as a criminal clerk at the 52-3 District Court for 3 years. In 2005, after earning accreditation through the Michigan Board of Addiction Professionals as a Certified Criminal Justice Professional, Jen was responsible for supervising a Sobriety and Domestic Violence Court caseload. In 2010, Jen was promoted to serve as the Court’s Deputy Court Administrator before being promoted to Court Administrator in 2013.

    Jen is a graduate of Central Michigan University where she earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Administration. As an undergraduate her studies focused on psychology and sociology with a concentration on social and criminal justice. Her postgraduate work targeted business administration.

Clerical Department Supervisor

  1. Jill Penfound

    Jill Penfound began working at the 51st District Court in August 2003. Jill was voted Employee of the Month for Waterford Township in August 2007 and she was voted Court Employee of the year in 2008 by the Waterford Optimist Club.  In October 2009, Jill received her certification in Court Recording.  In September 2011, she was promoted to Civil Supervisor and in January 2017 promoted to Clerical Department Chief.

Probation Department

  1. Angie Reid

    Angie Reid is the supervisor of the Probation Department. She has been a full-time Probation Officer at the 51st District Court since 2004.

    She graduated from Western Michigan University in 2003 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology. She interned at the Juvenile Court in Kalamazoo for 8 months in 2003. She earned CCJP certification in 2005. In 2010, she earned her Master's Degree in Counseling from Oakland University.

  2. Shelly Booth

    Shelly Booth has been employed as a Probation Officer at the 51st District Court since 1995. She is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. She is certified by the Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals - ARMS I and CCJP.

  3. Linda Hardacre

    Linda Hardare is the retired Chief of Probation at the 51st District Court. She is state certified with an assessment credential. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Michigan University, and completed graduate work in Communications at Oakland University. She is currently working part-time as a Sobriety Court Probation Officer.

  4. Denise Larkin

    Probation Officer
    Denise Larkin has served as a Probation Officer at the 51st District Court since 1991 and has worked in the probation field since 1987. From 1987 to 1989, Denise worked as a Pre-Sentence Investigator for the Vanderburgh County Circuit Court. From 1989 to 1991 she was the Chief Probation Officer in Gibson County Superior Court in Southwestern Indiana.

    Denise has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Southern Indiana. She is CCJP certified in the State of Michigan.