Courts · November 3, 2026

35th District Court

What this office does

District judges handle traffic cases, misdemeanors and smaller civil disputes. They also conduct early hearings in felony cases to decide whether those cases should proceed to Circuit Court.

Michigan · Judicial Branch

1 listed candidate · Vote for no more than 1

Incumbent position

Canton Precinct 8 sample ballot · PDF page 2 · Names and voting limits follow this sample.

Uncontested on the supplied printed ballot

The number of listed candidates equals the number of seats. This does not rule out qualified write-ins. These are brief background profiles, not endorsements.

You may leave any race blank; your votes in other races still count. University of Michigan · ballot basics

How to read judicial records

Research reviewed October 12, 2026. We have not verified a 2026 bar poll or evaluation for the candidates below. Dated historical evaluations are identified separately; an unverified rating is not a negative rating.

The Detroit Bar’s Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee assesses qualifications. Its evaluations are not a poll of all lawyers or a party endorsement. A “No Rating/Did Not Participate” entry does not establish that a candidate is unqualified.

Opinion examples illustrate specific reasoning, not a complete record or ranking. We distinguish authorship, joining an opinion, and dissent. Trial-court rulings are not uniformly published; a missing example is a research gap, not a judgment about experience.

Detroit Bar · evaluation process and current information

See this race’s local club endorsements ↓

Nonpartisan

Jim Plakas

Background

First elected in 2008. His court biography describes prior work as a prosecutor, defense attorney, assistant city attorney and civil litigator.

Judicial record

Appointment or election history: First elected to the 35th District Court in 2008, according to the court’s biography.
35th District Court · official judicial biography
Bar evaluation: A current rating has not yet been verified. See the research note above.
Opinion example: No individual written-opinion example has yet been reviewed for this candidate.

Sources

35th District Court · Judge Jim Plakas
Court biography · Official judicial biography.

Reviewed October 1, 2026.

Office and ballot references: Michigan · Judicial Branch.

Source directory for this office

Local club endorsements

Published club choices, not GuruG recommendations or professional ratings. “Not listed” does not mean opposed.

Canton Democratic Club: Not listed in the reviewed guide.

Plymouth Canton Republicans Club: Not listed in the reviewed guide.

Club sources reviewed October 6, 2026; follow the linked source pages for updates.