Old federal court files in W. Mich. to be destroyed

GRAND RAPIDS (AP) -- Records of more than 25,000 closed Michigan federal court cases are set to be destroyed unless people make requests for them. The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph recently reported the affected cases are in the Western District of Michigan, were filed after 1969, and archived between 1970 and 1995. The Western District covers 34 counties in the Lower Peninsula and all of the Upper Peninsula. The newspaper quotes the Administrative Office of the United States as saying it does not plan to preserve the records electronically. Only the judgments and docket sheets will be preserved from the discarded cases. The suit codes and lists of cases scheduled for destruction are posted on the court's website, www.miwd.uscourts.gov/generalinformation/courthistory . Interested parties can contact Clerk of Courts Tracey Cordes at (616) 456-2360 or traceycordes@miwd.uscourts.gov. Published: Wed, Apr 13, 2011