By: The Honorable David B. Herrington, Chief Judge, Huron
County Courts,
Jessica
Testolin-Reinke, Attorney Magistrate, and
Elaine
M. Moore, Court Administrator
In 2013, Michigan
enacted Act 93 of 2013, MCL 780.981 et al.
The Act, effective July 7, 2013, thereby created the Michigan Indigent
Defense Commission (MIDC): http://michiganidc.gov/. In the spring of 2016, the MIDC submitted standards
for appointed counsel that included the following: education and training for
defense counsel, suggestions for initial client interviews, a requirement to
have investigators and experts available for indigent clients, and a
requirement to have counsel present at a defendant’s first appearance in court,
as well as all other critical stages.