The first bill signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer was passed unanimously by the state Legislature. Capitol Correspondent Cheyna Roth reported.
The new law will keep a judge’s seat in a court in the Upper Peninsula. The current judge is retiring and a 2012 law would have gotten rid of the seat.
But that would have meant that only one district court judge would have been responsible for three counties and more than 100 miles of the state.
Republican Senator Ed McBroom is a bill sponsor. He said with that much traveling, judges would have likely had to sometimes cancel court due to weather which could’ve created backlogs.
“It’s just not a good situation for getting people’s justice expedited,” said McBroom.
The law will also allow for a drug treatment court.