NUMBER OF JUDGES FOR 3RD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

House Bill 5271

Sponsor:  Rep. Edward Gaffney

Committee:  Judiciary

Complete to 11-24-03

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5271 AS INTRODUCED 11-6-03

         Under current law, the Third Judicial Circuit, consisting of Wayne County, will have 63 judges until noon on January 1, 2005.  After that date, the circuit will have 61 judges.  However, if a vacancy occurs between January 1, 2003, and January 1, 2005 in a judgeship held by an incumbent judge of the circuit who is ineligible to seek reelection to that office in 2004, then the judgeship will be eliminated unless the total number of judgeships in the circuit has already been reduced to 61 prior to the vacancy.

         House Bill 5271 would rewrite this section of the Revised Judicature Act to simply state that the Third Judicial Circuit consists of the county of Wayne and would have 63 judges.

         MCL 600.504

Analyst:  S. Stutzky

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.