JUDICIAL DISTRICT REORGANIZATION - S.B. 1051: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Senate Bill 1051 (as introduced 3-1-00)
Sponsor: Senator George A. McManus, Jr.
Committee: Judiciary
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised Judicature Act (RJA) to authorize the reorganization of the eighty-sixth and eighty-seventh judicial districts by moving Antrim County and one judge from the eighty-seventh district to the eighty-sixth district.
Currently, the eighty-sixth judicial district consists of Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties and has two judges. The eighty-seventh judicial district consists of Kalkaska, Antrim, and Otsego Counties and has two judges. Under the bill, effective January 1, 2001, if the Counties of Antrim, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau approved the reorganization of the eighty-sixth district and the Counties of Kalkaska and Otsego approved the reorganization of the eighty-seventh district, pursuant to the bill and Section 8176 of the RJA, then the eighty-sixth district would consist of Grand Traverse, Antrim, and Leelanau Counties and would have three judges and the eighty-seventh district would consist of Kalkaska and Otsego Counties and would have one judge.
(Section 8176 provides that if a new district is proposed by law, the new district may not be created and no district judgeship proposed for the district may be authorized or filled by election unless each district control unit in the proposed district approves the creation of the new district and each judgeship proposed for the district by resolution adopted by the governing body of the district control unit, and the clerk of each district control unit files a copy of the resolution with the State Court Administrator by 4:00 p.m. of the 16th Tuesday preceding the August primary for the election immediately preceding the effective date of the new district.)
The bill specifies that, for purposes of the 2000 primary and general elections only, if an incumbent judge of the eighty-seventh district residing in Antrim County with a term ending January 1, 2001, sought election to a judgeship of the eighty-sixth district as reorganized under the bill, he or she could file an affidavit of candidacy as an incumbent judge and, at the judge's request, have the designation "judge of the district court" printed on the ballot under his or her name. The judicial candidate for the eighty-sixth district who received the highest number of votes in the 2000 general election would be elected for a term of six years; the candidate who received the second-highest number of votes would be elected for a four-year term for that election only.
MCL 600.8151 & 600.8152 - Legislative Analyst: P. Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The alignment of the district court within its judicial circuit boundaries would result in increased efficiency and facilitate coordination of services. Antrim County would realize net savings of approximately $27,000 related to the allocation of personnel costs.
- Fiscal Analyst: B. BowermanS9900\s1051sa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.