Meet the Judges of the 19th District Court

Born on September 2, 1959. At the age of 15 years, Sam sought work to support himself and to assist his family in providing for the family of eleven. Over the next 11 years, Sam pursued full time employment and schooling until he graduated with a Juris Doctorate Degree in Law in 1985.

In 1978, Sam resigned this position to take a job with the Dearborn Police Department as a police community relations officer a position Sam held for 2 years before leaving it to take the job of a vocational technician with the Dearborn Board of Education at Fordson High School.

After graduating from Law School, Sam immediately took a job as an Associate Attorney with the prestigious Law Firm of Berry, Hopson, Francis, Mack, and Seifman. Sam was promoted to a full partner position with the firm within 3 years of joining; the shortest time for an associate to become a partner. While with the firm, Sam served as a Prosecuting Attorney for the cities of Garden City and Romulus for about 8 years. In 1993 Sam was appointed to the bench of the 19th District Court in Dearborn as a Judicial Magistrate a position he held for 14 years.

In addition to serving as a Judicial Magistrate with the Court, Sam served as the President and Senior Attorney of the Law Firm of Salamey and Associates which he founded in 2002. In 2007, the firm became Salamey & Farhat, PLLC.

In 2012, Salamey ran for Dearborn District Court Judge and was elected to the bench. The Michigan Supreme Court appointed Judge Salamey as Chief Judge of the 19th District Court, effective Jan. 1, 2023. 

Through the various positions and the many life experiences encountered, Chief Judge Salamey learned that to progress and advance, it is imperative to become positively and seriously engaged in the affairs of the community. As such, he joined many professional and community organizations and contributed time and resources to numerous community organizations including municipal Boards such as the City of Dearborn Board of Ethics. Chief Judge Salamey was appointed to the Board as a commissioner and was elected by his fellow commissioners to chair the Board. He has and remains committed to contributing to Dearborn's greatness and its residents.

Judge Mark Somers has served as a judge of the 19th District Court in Dearborn since January 1, 2003, having been elected to four consecutive six-year terms (2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020). His tenure includes serving as the court’s Chief Judge for six of those years and Chief Pro Tem an additional six years.

He came to the bench well-prepared following nearly 20 years of general practice, providing legal counsel and representation to clients in a broad range of civil and criminal matters in more than 40 state and federal courts and tribunals.

With a focus on court-supervised rehabilitation and treatment for individuals with substance use disorders, Judge Somers has been a member of the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals since 2004 and his service to the community includes ten years as presiding judge of Dearborn's drug court.

The judge was born in St. Johns, Michigan, spending his youth in both Michigan and in India where his parents served as missionaries in agricultural and educational programs. He is a graduate of James Madison College and the Honors College at Michigan State University where he was elected to membership in both the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. He has been married to his wife Jennie since 1978 and they have made Dearborn their home since 1980 when he entered law school at Wayne State University. The Somers have two children and four grandchildren.

Judge Gene Hunt, Judge of the 19th District Court, spent his entire working life protecting the rights of people. Born in 1955, Gene’s family moved to Dearborn when he was a child. He grew up in Dearborn and attended Fordson High School, Henry Ford Community College, and the University of Michigan – Dearborn. Gene went on to earn his law degree from Wayne State University Law School.

Gene proudly served as a United States Marine and has been an attorney for 34 years. For more than 20 years he has served as the court-appointed attorney for the 19th District Court, representing indigent defendants. As a court-appointed attorney, he appeared in court up to five days a week and handled more than 10,000 cases in the Dearborn Court.

In 2016, with his continued pursuit to guarantee equal access to justice for all citizens, Gene ran for his first judicial election. On November 8, 2016, voters elected him to serve as the next 19th District Court Judge for the City of Dearborn, effective January 1, 2017.

During his first year as a judge, Gene took the necessary steps to facilitate meetings and coordinate with community partners to establish a Veterans Treatment Court, which was approved by the Michigan Supreme Court on January 23, 2018.

The Supreme Court appointed Gene as Chief Judge, effective January 1, 2019, and he served in this role until December 2022.

With the success of the Veterans Court and an identified need for a local program for non-veterans, Gene worked to implement a second problem-solving court. As Chief Judge, Gene signed the local administrative order establishing the Drug and Sobriety Treatment Court, which was approved on May 30, 2019. The Veterans Court and Drug/Sobriety Court promote sobriety, recovery, and stability through a coordinated response that involves collaboration with a variety of traditional partners. Gene serves as the presiding judge for both programs.

Gene is a member of the Dearborn Exchange Club, the Optimist Club, American Legion, League of Women Voters, and the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council.

He has been married to his wife Carol since 1983. The Hunts have dedicated their careers to public service and are the proud parents of two daughters and four grandchildren.