--- title: "Juanita F. Bocanegra | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juanita-f-bocanegra-mi-district-judge-58th-district-court" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Juanita F. Bocanegra 58th District Court · District Judge ## Profile - Court: 58th District Court - State: Michigan - Role: District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Elected by Ottawa County voters in 2020, Judge Bocanegra began her judicial tenure on January 1, 2021 - Judge of the 58th District Court in Ottawa County, Michigan, elected in 2020 and sworn in January 2021, making her the first Latina judge in the county - law clerk and later associate attorney at Rhoades McKee - Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office - , Judge Juanita F. Bocanegra’s career spans legal assistance, private practice, criminal prosecution, and judicial service, alongside extensive community leadership, reflecting her commitment to justice, public service, and West Michigan’s communities ### Education - Thomas M. Cooley Law School — J.D. (2008) - B.A. in International Relations from Grand Valley State University in 1997. ### Additional information - She was sworn in December 2020 and began her judicial tenure in January 2021 - March 2011 - She was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 2009 - Raised between Texas and Michigan by migrant farmworkers, Bocanegra graduated from West Ottawa High School in 1993 - , attending West Ottawa High School in 1993 - Assistant Prosecuting Attorney - Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan - Rick Snyder) - Commission on Fairness and Public Trust - Gretchen Whitmer) - After law school, she held the role of a law clerk and associate attorney at Rhoades McKee in Grand Rapids - Recognized for her balanced experience in civil litigation, business law, family law, and criminal prosecution, and for her bilingual (English/Spanish) ability to ensure fair and compassionate justice - by her parents, Marcos and Tomasa Flores, who held a position as seasonal migrant farm workers - first in her family to graduate high school - legal assistant at Hann Persinger, P.C. - handling cases from misdemeanors to serious felonies, among them armed robbery and homicide - Holland Hospital Board of Directors - Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area - Lakeshore Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence - Women Who Care - Women of Color Give - Movement West Michigan - Ottawa County Bar Association - An only child, Bocanegra’s upbringing involved frequent school changes due to her parents’ migration work - She credits her parents’ support and her husband’s encouragement for her educational and professional achievements - In summary ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### videoconferencing Scope: statewide Michigan courts may determine the manner and extent of videoconferencing technology, subject to participant requests and suitability factors under MCR 2.407. Evidence excerpt: courts may determine the manner and extent of the use of videoconferencing technology and may require participants to attend court proceedings by videoconferencing technology [Michigan Court Rule 2.407, Videoconferencing](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-2-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2.htm?rhtocid=_2) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote access notice Scope: statewide If a Michigan proceeding will be held by videoconferencing technology, the court must provide reasonable notice of how to access it. Evidence excerpt: If a proceeding will be held using videoconferencing technology, the court must provide reasonable notice of the way(s) to access that proceeding. [Michigan Court Rule 2.407, Videoconferencing](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-2-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2.htm?rhtocid=_2) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Michigan prohibits photography, audio or video recording, broadcasting, or live streaming in a courtroom unless allowed by the presiding judge, subject to the separate media-coverage order. Evidence excerpt: In a courtroom, no one may use a portable electronic device to take photographs or for audio or video recording, broadcasting, or live streaming unless that use is specifically allowed by the Judge presiding over that courtroom. [Michigan Court Rule 8.115, Courthouse Decorum and Portable Electronic Devices](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-8-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8.htm?rhtocid=_25) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### device use Scope: statewide Michigan allows courtroom use of portable electronic devices for information retrieval, storage, internet access, and messaging, but requires silence and bars calls or other audible functions without court permission. Evidence excerpt: Attorneys, parties, and members of the public may use a portable electronic device in a courtroom to retrieve or to store information (including notetaking), to access the Internet, and to send and receive text messages or information. [Michigan Court Rule 8.115, Courthouse Decorum and Portable Electronic Devices](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-8-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8.htm?rhtocid=_25) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/api/directory/county/70) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/api/directory/county/70) - [Michigan Courts official judicial roster](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/api/directory/county/70) - [Michigan Court Rule 2.407, Videoconferencing](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-2-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2.htm?rhtocid=_2) - [Michigan Court Rule 8.115, Courthouse Decorum and Portable Electronic Devices](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-8-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8.htm?rhtocid=_25) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juanita-f-bocanegra-mi-district-judge-58th-district-court", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juanita-f-bocanegra-mi-district-judge-58th-district-court", "name": "Juanita F. Bocanegra | KnowJudges", "description": "Juanita F. Bocanegra, 58th District Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juanita-f-bocanegra-mi-district-judge-58th-district-court#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juanita-f-bocanegra-mi-district-judge-58th-district-court#judge", "name": "Juanita F. 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Bocanegra", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/juanita-f-bocanegra-mi-district-judge-58th-district-court" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Michigan Court Rule 8.115, Courthouse Decorum and Portable Electronic Devices](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-2f4be1384a246c5cc0b6bc97) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-8-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8.htm?rhtocid=_25). Collected 2026-07-26.