State Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth T. Clement on Wednesday applauded Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive budget recommendations that would help Michigan’s trial courts improve service to the public, boost accountability, and expand access to our justice system.
In particular, Clement highlighted the recommended $7.2 million in ongoing funds to support the continued scaling up of the statewide case management system (CMS).
“The investment in the statewide CMS is critical so that the project can keep pace and meet its goals of improved service — including additional online functionality — more efficient court operations, lower costs to local government, and substantial progress toward a more efficient, data-driven judiciary,” said Clement.
The chief justice also noted that the executive recommendations included a $3.84 million investment to boost the capacity of the State Court Administrative Office to improve auditing of trial courts and strengthen internal staffing on core operations.
This funding will allow for the implementation of the National Center for State Courts recommended best practice of auditing each trial court once every three to five years and to make up for a staffing shortfall compared to similar state court systems.
“In addition to being fair, the people we serve expect our courts to be accountable,” said Clement. “More frequent audits will make sure that local courts are held accountable for every dollar they receive and spend.”
Clement also praised the recommendation to increase funding for Michigan’s successful problem-solving courts (PSC) by $1.6 million. She noted that without the increase, PSC program managers won’t have the funding to keep pace with the demand, and inflationary cost increases will erode capacity to serve the public. The recommended funding will also build the capacity of the State Court Administrative Office to support drug, mental health, and veterans treatment courts statewide.
“The success of problem-solving courts is demonstrated in their results,” said Chief Justice Clement. “Graduates are much less likely to commit another crime and much more likely to find a job, improving their quality of life and making communities safer. These courts work. They save lives. They strengthen communities. This investment will make a big difference and help us respond to an expected increase of 15 applications from trial courts for new programs.”
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