New judge appointed to Ingham County’s 55th District Court 

TUESDAY, April 7 — A lawyer from Meridian Township is replacing former Judge Tom Boyd at Ingham County’s 55th District Court in Mason, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced today. 

Whitmer appointed Richard Hillman to fill the remaining nine months of a six-year term abandoned by Boyd after he was appointed last month to become Michigan’s state court administrator. Hillman is a practicing attorney, a shareholder at the firm of Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith and currently serves as the city prosecutor for the cities of Fenton and Dewitt. 

"I am extremely humbled and grateful to Gov. Whitmer for entrusting me with the privilege to serve my community as district court judge,” Hillman said in a press release sent out earlier this afternoon. “I will do my level best to carry out my duties with fairness and respect for all." 

Hillman’s appointment formally expires on Jan. 1. If he plans to seek a full, six-year term on the 55th District Court bench, he’ll be required to file and run for reelection in November. 

According to a press release, Hillman has spent more than 20 years working with municipal and landlord-tenant law, criminal defense and driver’s license appeals. He’s a former shareholder with McGinty, Jakubiak, Frankland & Hitch and has been a judicial clerk for the 30th Circuit Court and a law clerk for Dan Doneth Attorney at Law and Mueller Law Office. 

Hillman lives in Meridian Township with his wife, Teresa, and is a member of the East Lansing Knights of Columbus and the St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John’s Catholic parishes. He has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a law degree from Marquette University. 

Whitmer, in a statement, said Hillman has a “strong” background and a wide range of professional experience, making him an “exceptional choice” to serve the 55th District Court.