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47th District Court Judicial Candidate Forum
Non-Incumbent Race
Tue, June 30, 2026
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET
Choosing a judge to rule on cases and issue judgments should be an informed decision. To help with that decision, the OCBA is partnering with the League of Women Voters-Oakland Area, the Oakland County Legal News, and the Oakland County Times to host Judicial Candidate Forums for all judicial races in Oakland County where there are contested seats.
The 47th District Court candidate forum took place in June 30. Watch the recording of the forum and learn more about each candidate below.
47th district court CANDIDATES
Anthony J. Bordoley, Anthony J. Bordoley, PLC
Candidate Questionnaire Oakland County Times Candidate Video Interview
Shelley R. Drain, Wayne County Prosecutors Office
Candidate Questionnaire Oakland County Times Candidate Video Interview
Moneka L. Sanford, Moneka L. Sanford, Esq.
Candidate Questionnaire Oakland County Times Candidate Video Interview
Michael E. Sawicky, Michael E. Sawicky, P.L.L.C.
Candidate Questionnaire Oakland County Times Candidate Video Interview
CANDIDATE FORUM
On June 30, 2026, the four candidates for the 47th District Court (Farmington and Farmington Hills) judicial race participated in a forum at the Farmington Community Library–Liberty Street branch. The forum was videotaped and is available to watch online. A link to the recording can be found above on this page.
HOW IT WORKS
Each forum consists of two panelists – one from the Oakland County Bar Association and one from the Oakland County Legal News – who ask questions of each of the judicial candidates. A representative of the League of Women Voters moderates the forum. Local citizens are invited to attend these events and submit questions for responses by the candidates. The questions will be screened for relevance and duplication.
HOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CANDIDATES
Each candidate is asked to provide answers to a questionnaire. You can read their answers, if provided, by clicking on the link under their name. If the candidate has also elected to be interviewed by the Oakland County Times, you can click on the video link under their name (the links will become live once the information is provided to us). You can also review the "Eight Factors to Consider When Electing a Judge" to aid in making your decision.
This partnership is nonpartisan and the respective organizations will not support or oppose candidates prior to the candidate forum. The Oakland County Legal News and the Oakland County Times may or may not endorse judicial candidates before the election, but not until after the forum has taken place. The partners of the Judicial Candidate Forums strive to provide factual, nonpartisan information to citizens regarding candidates’ qualifications and views.
23500 Liberty Street
Farmington, MI 48335
This program is made possible through a generous grant from
