Fewer residents mean fewer judges, state says

By JON GASKELL
Capital News Service
LANSING – Michigan is eliminating 36 trial court judgeships, a move that is expected to save the state around $6 million a year in judges’ salaries, an average $140,000 each. “This is the largest cut in judgeships ever accomplished in the United States,” said Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Young. “It is unprecedented.”
That includes four Upper Peninsula positions. “This right-sizing of our judiciary is the front edge of reforms we need to make for a more service-oriented and efficient court system,” Young said. The cuts will be made through attrition over several years.