House Bill 5635
Sponsor: Rep. Rick Johnson
Committee: Family and Civil Law
Complete to 9-26-00
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5635 AS INTRODUCED 4-18-00
The Revised Judicature Act proposes the establishment of judicial circuits consisting of various counties in the state, and authorizes the number of judgeships assigned to each circuit. However, new judicial circuits are only created after the board of commissioners of each affected county approves the creation of a new circuit or approves filling additional judgeships by election.
Currently, the 34th judicial circuit consists of the counties of Arenac, Ogemaw, and Roscommon and has two judges. House Bill 5635 would amend the act to propose a new judicial circuit, the 58th, to consist of Roscommon County, which would have one judgeship effective January 1, 2001. The bill specifies that if the new judicial circuit is created (by approval of the Roscommon County board of commissioners), the incumbent judge of the 34th circuit who resides in Roscommon County would become the judge of the 58th circuit on January 1, 2001, and would serve for the remainder of the term to which he or she was elected in the 34th circuit. Further, the bill proposes the reorganization of the 34th judicial circuit, so that it would consist of Arenac and Ogemaw Counties and have one judge, effective January 1, 2001 (again, if approved by the two affected counties).
The bill would also update language in the act to reflect the 1990 authorization and local approval of an additional judgeship in the 34th judicial circuit; under Public Act 54 of 1990, the additional judgeship was proposed by the legislature, to be effective January 1, 1991. It was subsequently approved by the affected counties.
MCL 600.535
Analyst: D. Martens