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Juneteenth is now the 13th Michigan court holiday

Juneteenth will be the 13th paid holiday when Michigan courts are closed.

The Michigan Supreme Court has declared Juneteenth a statewide court holiday.

Two Republican justices objected, saying taxpayers will be shortchanged.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas.

Congress and President Joe Biden created a federal holiday a year ago.

Tom Boyd, state court administrator, says making Juneteenth a holiday sends a message that Michigan's court system "values the life experiences of all who seek justice."

Juneteenth will be the 13th paid holiday when Michigan courts are closed.

Justice David Vivian says courts slogging through a COVID-19 backlog of cases now will face another burden.

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.
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