40th District Court Judges

JCOHonorable Chief Judge

Joseph Craigen Oster

The Honorable Joseph Craigen Oster was elected to the 40th District Court in St. Clair Shores, Michigan in November 1996 and has been reelected every year since. He received an B.A. in History from the University of Michigan in 1986 and his law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1992.

Judge Oster served on the inaugural Macomb County Domestic Violence Fatality Review team. He received the 2007 Tracy Minnella award for his work and leadership on domestic violence issues. He has served as the president of the Macomb Community Domestic Violence Council since 2008. He wrote the article “Stop the Blaming: Rethinking Responsibility in Domestic Violence Cases” which appeared in May 2012 in the State Bar of Michigan’s Family Law Journal.

Judge Oster is also a member of the Macomb County Community Corrections advisory board. The judge is the current president of the Macomb District Judges Association.

MAFHonorable Mark A. Fratarcangeli

Judge Mark Fratarcangeli was elected in November 2000 and had previously worked as an attorney in private practice for 9 years. He is a graduate of Notre Dame High School class of 1985, received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Kalamazoo College and his law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law. He and his wife, Amy have three children. 

Since taking office, Judge Fratarcangeli has initiated numerous programs at the 40th District Court, including Court/School initiatives, the Interactive Courtroom Video program, Driving While License Suspended Court and Drug Court. 

Judge Fratarcangeli was previously elected by his peers as President of the Macomb County District Court Judges Association and served two terms

  1. Magistrate Taylor
  2. ​Magistrate Leija

Magistrate TaylorMagistrate Taylor

Magistrate Genevieve Taylor is the newest judicial addition to the 40th District Court in St. Clair Shores, officially taking the Oath of Office on October 19, 2021. She is also a private practice attorney, focusing her work on criminal defense and driver’s license restoration. Genevieve has been in private practice since being admitted to the bar in 2008. She is a graduate of St. Clair High School class of 1990, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan, and her Juris Doctorate from Thomas Cooley Law School. Genevieve resides in St. Clair Shores and has two daughters.