Applications being accepted to fill vacancy on 3rd Circuit Court

Applications are now being accepted for a seat on the 3rd Circuit Court (Wayne County) to replace vacating Judge Leslie Kim Smith.

To be considered for this position, applicants must be a State Bar of Michigan member who meets the legal qualifications for this office.  To be appointed, applicants must reside within the judicial district.

Judicial appointment questionnaire, writing samples, resume, and supplemental documents must be submitted using the online portal at www.michigan.gov/appointments and received by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 15.  
Additional letters of recommendation can still be submitted after the initial submission to judicialappointments@michigan.gov.

Anyone with questions about the judicial appointments process can email questions to judicialappointments@michigan.gov.

Strategic planning strengthens resiliency and trust in American courts

Courts across the country are engaging in strategic planning to anticipate and respond to rapidly changing environments, ensure long-term viability, and act deliberately rather than reactively.

Bridging a statewide or local vision with court operations, strategic plans demonstrate how daily work, initiatives, and projects advance long-term goals.

With support from the State Justice Institute, NCSC worked with a 31-member committee in Kansas to update the vision, mission, strategic priorities, and goals to improve the court user experience. The state’s future-ready strategic plan established four priority areas: access to justice, public trust, court operations, and workforce development.

Understanding the importance of local courts to the statewide plan’s success, Kansas is now in the process of launching local strategic action planning in its 31 judicial districts and the Court of Appeals.

“After going through the pandemic and a branch-wide cyberattack, we fully understood how strategic planning can prepare you for the unexpected,” said Kansas State Court Administrator Stephanie Smith. “While the process took longer than expected due to incidents outside of our control, we were committed to adopting and implementing a plan that meets the needs of Kansans now and into the future.”

Strategic planning helps build a living, future-ready framework for courts.  For additional information from NCSC on strategic planning, visit:

• www.ncsc.org/our-expertise/strategic-planning

• www.ncsc.org/futurecourts

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