Chief Judge Resources
The following selected resources pertain to the chief judge's responsibility to oversee and supervise staff and court operations pursuant to MCR 8.110.
Administration
Local Administrative Orders and plans
A trial court may issue a local administrative order (LAO) governing only internal court management. Administrative orders must be sequentially numbered during the calendar year of their issuance. Before its effective date an administrative order must be sent to the State Court Administrator. If the State Court Administrator directs, a trial court shall stay the effective date of an administrative order or shall revoke it. A trial court may submit such an order to the Supreme Court as a local court rule. MCR 8.112(B).
All trial courts are mandated to issue LAOs to establish court policies for regulating certain functions and procedures. In addition to these mandated LAOs, a number of LAOs are required under certain circumstances. Model LAOs are available for some areas of court management and can be downloaded in Rich Text format. See the list of LAOs.
Procedural Manuals
Request Management Assistance
At the request of a trial court, the Trial Court Services division of the State Court Administrative Office will conduct management assistance projects to review court operations and procedures in the areas of:
general court administration, probation services
policies and procedures
human resources
records and case file management
case processing
jury management
collection and enforcement of court-ordered financial obligation
Contact your regional office to discuss your needs and to make arrangements with Trial Court Services.
Conduct and Ethics of Court Staff
Holiday Gifts
The
Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 4(E)(4), prohibits judges and their family members from receiving gifts, except in certain limited circumstances. Prudence dictates that judges should require court staff under their direction to observe the same high standards to avoid any appearance that the official actions, decisions, or judgments of any court employee could be influenced by gifts. See Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 3(B)(2).
Reporting
MCR 8.110 requires the chief judge to ensure that certain reporting requirements are met. The reports the chief judge is required to sign include:
Caseload and Caseflow Management
Family Services
Judicial Reports