Governor Will Not Fill COA Vacancies, Will Support Bill to Reduce Judgeships

Governor Snyder's press secretary has confirmed that the Governor will not fill the two current vacancies in the Court of Appeals, and will support legislation to eliminate the seats.  "This decision to not fill these two posts reflects the governor's desire to match and align the number of judgeships with a significantly reduced caseload at the court." she said. The Governor's decision is consistent with the position of the Chief Justice, who has also called for judgeship reductions, based on attrition.  The State Court Administrative Office will be issuing its report on judicial needs in August.  According to a story in the Detroit News, the chief of staff and general counsel for the Supreme Court, Matthew Schneider, praised the Governor for taking a courageous and unprecedented step.  "Governor Snyder has taken a bold step to do what is good public policy," he said.