10/28/09

Sitting left to right: Hon. Victoria Roberts, Hon. Alton Davis, Hon. Barry Howard, Edward Pappas, Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly, Anne Vrooman (SBM). Standing, first row: Hon. Susan Moiseev, Diane Akers, E. Christopher Johnson, Dirk Hoffius, James Brady, Hon. Maria Oxholm, Michael Hodge, Valdemar Washington, William Molner (AG's office), Marilyn Atkins, Catherine McClure (legislative liaison). Back row: Hon. James Alexander, Marge Bossenbery (SBM), Hon. Kirk Tabbey, Rep. Justin Amash (legislative liaison), Thomas Cranmer, Hon. James Kingsley, Hon. Kenneth Tacoma, Hon. Milton Mack, Reginald Turner, and Andrew Doctoroff. (State Bar of Michigan Photo)

A prominent group of judges and lawyers met Oct. 23 at the State Bar of Michigan in Lansing to set in motion the very crucial work of identifying how Michigan's justice system can meet the needs of the public in the face of major economic changes in the state. Members of the Judicial Crossroads Task Force heard a presentation from the National Center for State Courts on how other states are grappling with similar issues. The work of the Task Force is supported by four committees: court structure and resources, access to justice, technology, and business impact. The next Task Force meeting has been scheduled for March of 2010.