Michigan Appellate Courts SCAO Biweekly Brief - Courts Update
Michigan Appellate Courts sent this bulletin at 01/21/2022 12:16 PM ESTE-MEMORANDUM
Date: January 21, 2022
To: All Judges
CC: Court Administrators, Clerks, and Registers
From: John Nevin, Communications Director
Re: SCAO Biweekly Brief
Click the links below to see information posted since our last SCAO Biweekly Brief.
General and Administrative Matters
Task Force on Forensic Science to Hold Jan. 25 Remote Meeting, Take Public Commentary. The next meeting of the Task Force on Forensic Science will include a 1:30 p.m. discussion about the scope of a Michigan forensic science oversight body, led by Jeff Nye, Director of the Michigan State Police Forensic Science Division, and a 2:15 p.m. discussion of recommendations made by the Task Force Subcommittee on Education and Application of Forensic Science, led by retired Judge Donald Shelton.
Advisory Council Seeks Public Comments on Jail Reforms; Feedback will help the Council implement landmark 2020 legislation. The Michigan Jail Reform Advisory Council (JRAC) is seeking public comments in advance of its next meeting on Thursday, February 10, which will be held remotely via Zoom. This feedback will assist the JRAC in implementing policy and practice changes, developing educational materials, supporting justice system practitioners, and monitoring performance measures.
The MDHHS Mental Health Diversion Council, in partnership with MCOLES, MSA, CMHA, MACP and PAAM, is proud to announce the 4th webinar in our Interdisciplinary Partnership Series on Monday, January 31, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
New Friend of the Court Employees Webinar - Tuesday, February 15, 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This webinar, designed for FOC staff with two years or less experience, will include presentations on: Overview of the Friend of the Court Office; Child Support Formula and Enforcement; Custody and Parenting Time; and Customer Service.
New Probate Registers Webinar: Developmentally Disabled Guardianships - Thursday, March 3, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. The Michigan Judicial Institute (MJI), in collaboration with the Michigan Probate and Juvenile Registers Association (MPJRA) is pleased to continue the live webinar series for new(er) probate registers. This presentation will address the process for petitioning the probate court for appointment of a plenary or partial guardian for an individual with an alleged developmental disability.
Panels Assess Judiciary’s Pandemic Response, Public Access to Court Proceedings. The State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) announced the completion of work by two key expert panels: the Lessons Learned Committee, which assessed the Michigan justice system’s response to the pandemic; and the Task Force on Open Courts, Media, and Privacy, which assessed how the courts enable public access to judicial proceedings. The final reports from both panels, as well as compiled public feedback, are available online.
Keep checking the SCAO Court Communications page for regular information about SCAO reports, forms, family/probate/civil/criminal matters, court rules, and job postings in the courts.
Latest Information on COVID-19
Attorney Discipline Board: Recent Notices of Discipline and Reinstatement
Attorney Discipline Board: Recent Board Orders and Opinions
The SCAO Biweekly Brief is issued every other week and contains all of the latest updates and “Recent Communications” you are used to receiving from SCAO. (REMINDER: Trial court judges, administrators, and other court staff must receive this information in order to remain up-to-date on news, announcements, and other important messages that will not be issued elsewhere.)
YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE E-MAIL! SCAO updates our “Court Communications” webpage regularly. To keep up on this information on a real-time basis, you can set this webpage as your default homepage. Also, you can add an RSS feed so you’ll be notified instantly regarding any changes on the page. (To set up an RSS feed, check with your IT department regarding specific policies and then click the button on the webpage.)
In addition, announcements will be posted to social media as they become available, so please follow the Michigan Supreme Court (SCAO) on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
TIPS TO ENSURE DELIVERY TO YOUR IN BOX: We do our best to make our messages as “friendly” as possible to your in-box. However, sometimes e-mail service providers have spam filters that divert important communications into a spam folder because they fail to recognize the sender, meaning that some subscribers do not receive these important messages. To ensure that you receive SCAO e-mails, please add SCAO’s “From” e-mail address to your e-mail’s address book or contact list. (For detailed instructions and assistance with this, visit www.firemailing.com/whitelist.html.) Also, please note that “unsubscribing” from any one type of SCAO e-mail will remove you from all of our communications.
