The Legislature is being asked to consider a proposal by the Judicial Resource Recommendations report calling for the elimination of 49 judges. Forty-five trial judgeships would be eliminated and four judges from the Court of Appeals.
The reductions, if approved by the Legislature, would occur through attrition. Chief Justice Robert Young, Jr., speaking at a press conference this week said the state could not end judgeships mid-term during a judge’s tenure. It would take up to eight years for the full recommendations to take effect.
The proposal has the support of the Michigan Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and four judicial groups – The Michigan Judges Association, Michigan District Court Judges Association, Michigan Probate Judges Association, and the Michigan Judicial Conference. Justice Young stated that Governor Snyder also supports the recommendations.
Eliminating the trial judgeships would save the state about $157,000 in salary and benefits for each judge. Eliminating four Appeals judges would save another $700,000 in salary and benefits. All totaled, eliminating forty-nine judgeships will save the state about $8 million in just salary and benefits.
Only 26 of the states 83 counties would not see a drop in the number of judgeships, most of those concentrated in the center and west of the state, though Macomb , Washtenaw, and Livingston would not be recommended for reductions.
The only two northern counties not recommended for a judicial reduction are Charlevoix and Emmet.