Monday, August 15, 2016

Jury Management: The New Michigan Performance Measure

Posted by State Court Administrative Office on Aug 15, 2016 2:31:12 PM

By Jim Inloes, Management Analyst, Trial Court Services

Being called for jury service is, for many citizens, the only contact they will ever have with
Michigan’s judicial system. There were only 2,396 cases that concluded in jury verdicts in
calendar year 2015. These include all circuit, district, and probate courts and represent less than
one percent of all dispositions in which a jury trial could be held.

Michigan Legal Help Adds and Improves Tools

Posted by State Court Administrative Office on Aug 15, 2016 1:30:43 PM

By Elizabeth Walz, Program & Outreach Coordinator, Michigan Legal Help


Over the past year, this column has highlighted the growth of the Michigan Legal Help (MLH)
program. On June 1, 2016, Tina Rosenberg of the New York Times wrote the column, “Legal
Aid with a Digital Twist,” which demonstrates the growing impact of online legal forms and the
importance of projects like Michigan Legal Help (MLH).

Moving Forward with the Help of a MAP

Posted by State Court Administrative Office on Aug 15, 2016 2:10:13 PM

By The Honorable Sara Lisznyai, 2B District Court (Hillsdale County)


Judges play many roles. They interpret the law, assess the evidence presented, and control how
hearings and trials unfold in the courtrooms. Judges are impartial decision-makers in the pursuit
of justice. They also serve as leaders of the court. I was honored to take on this role when
elected to replace a retiring judge who had been on the bench here at the Hillsdale District Court
for 36 years.

The End of an Era: Four Days in May 2016

Posted by State Court Administrative Office on Aug 15, 2016 2:48:41 PM

By The Honorable Kathryn Joan Root, Oscoda County Probate and Presiding Family Division Judge

May 4, 2016: It was a very ordinary day until the evening 10 o’clock local news came on. The first picture on the television was the 1888 Oscoda County Courthouse in flames. It was shocking to see the 128 year old building on fire. I jumped up from the couch, grabbed my jacket, and drove to the courthouse.

20th Circuit Court -- Ottawa County -- Committed to Helping Parents Stay Employed to Pay Child Support

Posted by State Court Administrative Office on Aug 15, 2016 1:41:02 PM

By SCAO Friend of the Court Bureau Interns

Paying child support can often be a frustrating and difficult undertaking, particularly when the parent who is required to pay encounters financial difficulty. Some of those parents might even feel like they are being negatively judged and told, “Get a job, you lazy bum!”

Although the Child Support Program strives to treat all parties with respect at every step of the child support process, this is the impression that some payers take away from an order to show cause for failure to pay child support. Parties may petition for a modification of the support order, but

Data-Driven Statistical Research Team

Posted by State Court Administrative Office on Aug 15, 2016 1:20:43 PM 

By Laura Hutzel, Statistical Research Director


The SCAO statistical research team supports court efforts to assess public satisfaction, equitably allocate resources, and promote positive performance.

Annual Assessment of Public Satisfaction 


Over the past three years, the vast majority of court users reported that they were treated with courtesy and respect, able to conduct their business in a timely manner, and thought that their case was handled fairly. Many citizens within the state of Michigan hear about these high levels of customer service through their local or regional media outlets.

In June, SCAO distributed the 2016 survey materials, including court-specific survey instruments and instructions, to court leaders. In August, courts will again begin to solicit feedback for five full business days from every court user leaving the courthouse.

This year, the statistical research team will work with the State Bar of Michigan to send an electronic version of the survey to attorneys throughout the state. Therefore, attorneys who come into the court will have the option to complete the survey as they leave the courthouse or from their office or home computer.

If you have any questions about the public satisfaction survey requirements for courts, please contact Kimberly Tody, SCAO Data Projects Coordinator, at todyk@courts.mi.gov.

Using Weighted Caseload to Allocate Judges 


In December 2015, during the chief judge and court administrator seminar, numerous court leaders heard about how to use weighted caseload data to equitably allocate workload among judges. Sixteen courts signed up to receive more information. Nearly half of those courts worked with SCAO to generate a detailed analysis of the current workload allocation. These detailed analyses show the percentage of cases assigned to each judge and an estimate of the amount of time required in handling those cases. Court leaders use this information to balance workload, reassign quasi-judicial officers, strategically plan, and/or adjust to changes in the size of the bench.

For example, in one jurisdiction that is losing a judgeship through attrition, the court received the estimated workload for the current sitting judges and four options for reassigning cases after one judgeship is gone. The sitting judges, with leadership from the chief judge and in consultation with the regional administrator, can have informed discussions of how to reassign cases long before cases need to be reassigned. This ensures that there will be no gaps in service or case processing.

If your court would like to assess its judicial workload, contact me at hutzell@courts.mi.gov.

Judiciary Dashboard Provides Public Transparency 


In June, SCAO updated the judiciary dashboard. This dashboard allows the public to see what is working, or not, in the judiciary as a whole. The judiciary continues to improve in many areas, such as the following:


  • Courts are doing more to enforce financial sanctions. Since 2010, the percentage of courts with a compliant collections program has increased from 85% to 92%. This improves courts’ credibility and effectiveness. 
  • More courts have the judges needed to keep up with demand. Since 2011, the percentage of county-funded jurisdictions with a judicial need decreased from 14% to 0% and locally-funded district courts with a judicial need decreased from 7% to 2%. 
  • Courts with judicial excess have been right-sized. Since 2011, the percentage of county-funded jurisdictions with a judicial excess decreased from 52% to 30% and the percentage of locally-funded district courts with a judicial excess decreased from 20% to 5%. 
  • More counties share judicial resources. Since 2013, the percentage of counties participating in a concurrent jurisdiction plan has increased from 77% to 86%. 
  • Counties are collecting and disbursing more child support. Since 2012, the percentage of child support paid in the month due increased from 67% to 71%. This ensures minimum standards of living for children, reduces the need for public assistance, and maximizes federal incentives. 
  • More cases are disposed in resolution centers. Since 2013, the number of cases disposed by community dispute resolution centers increased from 14, 412 to 16,279. In many situations, the collaborative, voluntary approach of mediation is more appropriate than litigation. 
  • More courts share a chief judge. Since 2010, the percentage of chief judges presiding over more than one court increased from 4% to 37%. Consolidating chief judges provides strong, central leadership for courts that share jurisdictions. 
If you have an idea for a performance measure that we should track on this dashboard, please contact me at hutzell@courts.mi.gov.

ADR Developments in Collaborative Law, Parenting Coordination, and Child Protection Mediation

Posted by State Court Administrative Office on Aug 15, 2016 1:28:34 PM
By Doug Van Epps, Director, Office of Dispute Resolution

Three new initiatives signal increased interest in expanding the array of ADR options available to parties for resolving their conflicts in domestic relations and child protection cases, two of which are prompted by recently enacted legislation.

First, the Collaborative Law Rules Committee has been convened to provide recommendations to the Michigan Supreme Court for adopting a new court rule to guide the development of collaborative law in Michigan.

"In Good Hands": Michigan Supreme Court, State Court Administrative Office Welcome New Faces

Posted by State Court Administrative Office on Aug 15, 2016 3:10:49 PM

By Kathryn Haroney, MSC Public Information Office Intern

Thomas Clement, General Counsel


At first, General Counsel of the Michigan Supreme Court wasn't a job that Thomas Clement expected to pursue. “I knew several of my predecessors...all of them spoke very highly about the job,”
Clement says, but “it wasn't necessarily something that I was seeking out.” He enjoyed his role as assistant attorney general and division chief in the Michigan Attorney General's Office, and
it would be very difficult for him to leave that position. However, a series of encounters with former General Counsel Joe Baumann, Chief Justice Young, State Court Administrator Milton Mack, and others at MSC made him “increasingly excited” about the possibility of taking on the role of General Counsel. “I was very pleased, very excited, and anxious to get started and kind of wrap my arms around what the job was all about.”