The Michigan Supreme Court has reappointed Judge James M. Biernat, Jr. as chief judge of Macomb County Circuit Court as well as Macomb Probate and 42nd District Court.
The appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2017.
“I am honored to have been reappointed by the Supreme Court,” Biernat said after his appointment was announced by the high court last week.
“We have a great bench here in Macomb County and I look forward to continuing to support my fellow judges and work cooperatively with the Macomb County Board of Commissioners and County Executive Mark Hackel,” he said.
Biernat also praised “the outstanding staff we have here at the court.”
“I appreciate their hard work, excellent customer service and professionalism,” he said.
Biernat worked as an assistant prosecutor for the Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office from January 1999 until his appointment to the bench by Governor Snyder in 2011.
Currently, Biernat and Judge Jennifer Faunce preside over the circuit court’s Adult Drug Court docket.
Bernat served as chief judge pro tempore under Chief Judge John Foster and was named chief judge upon Foster’s retirement.
Biernat graduated from Hillsdale College in 1991 and received his law degree from the University of Detroit Law School in 1997. He was a commissioner for the 16th district on the Macomb County Board of
Commissioners from January 1993 through December 1998.
In addition to Biernat’s appointment, the high court named chief judges for circuit, probate, district and municipal courts statewide.
With the appointment of 50 multicourt chief judges, the number of single court chief judges appointed to lead trial courts has been cut by two-thirds since 2010.
“Chief judges play a critical role in driving change to help courts become more efficient, save tax dollars, and improve service to the public,” said Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr. “In particular, multicourt chief judges are better positioned to make the difficult decisions needed to help streamline court processes, share workloads, and implement best practices that improve outcomes.”
Through the appointment of multi-court chief judges, the total number of chief judges has been cut by more than 40 percent since 2010.
The appointment of multicourt chief judges is part of a comprehensive Supreme Court plan to reengineer the state’s trial courts to increase efficiency and improve service.
For example, rightsizing of the Michigan judiciary is already on course to trim 40 judgeships statewide, saving taxpayers $175 million, according to a court news release.
Other chief judges appointments in Macomb are:
• 37th District Court — Judge John M. Chmura
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