The first bill signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer was passed unanimously by the state Legislature.
The new law will keep a judge’s seat in a court in the Upper Peninsula. The current judge is retiring and a 20-12 law would have gotten rid of the seat. But that would have meant that only one district court judge would have been responsible for three counties – and more than 100 miles of the state.
Republican Senator Ed McBroom is a bill sponsor. He says with that much traveling, judges would have likely had to sometimes cancel court due to weather…which could’ve created backlogs.
“It’s just not a good situation for getting people’s justice expedited.”
The law will also allow for a drug treatment court.