State Court Administrative Office

The State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) is the administrative agency of the Michigan Supreme Court. Article VI, Section 3 of the Michigan Constitution states that the Michigan Supreme Court "shall appoint an administrator of the courts and other assistants of the supreme court as may be necessary to aid in the administration of the courts of this state." The Supreme Court has administrative oversight of Michigan's courts and exercises that oversight through the SCAO.

What's New for Trial Courts

​​ Click link for the judicial branch's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

JUSTICE CLEMENT, JUDGES APPOINTED TO TASK FORCE ON JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM 

July 22, 2021 - Gov. Whitmer has made appointments to the new Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform. The following judicial branch participants have been designated by Chief Justice Bridget McCormack: MSC Justice Elizabeth Clement; Judge Doreen Allen, of Midland County Probate Court; Judge Karen Braxton, of Third Judicial Circuit Court; and Juvenile Court Director Thom Lattig, of 20th Circuit and Ottawa County Probate Courts. Read more here​.

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PUBLIC COMMENT WANTED BY Task Force on Open Courts, Media and Privacy

​July 12, 2021 - The public is invited to comment on the following:​ DRAFT REPORT from the Task Force on Open Courts, Media and Privacy​.​ The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 forced the vast majority of Michigan judicial proceedings to move online. This presented technical challenges to courts, attorneys, parties, and other participants in the state’s justice system. In certain types of cases, the use of online proceedings also raised concerns about privacy, the rights of criminal defendants, the rights of victims, and the fair administration of justice. ​Read more here. 

public comment wanted on 'lessons learned' draft report

​June 29, 2021 - The public is invited to comment on the following:​ DRAFT REPORT - Michigan Trial Courts: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic of 2020-2021 – Findings, Best Practices, and Recommendations. The key message from the draft report is that virtual proceedings played a key role in keeping courts running while also limiting spread of the virus. The draft is also being distributed to a broad range of judicial system stakeholders to begin a discussion to identify steps that should be maintained in the future or other reforms that might improve the administration of justice to be considered by the Michigan Supreme Court. Read more here​.