GOALS FOR DISTRICT COURT
Justice should be fair, timely, and focused on serving the needs of our community. My priorities include expanding treatment-focused programs like a Mental Health Court, strengthening the successful Drug/Sobriety Court, reducing delays in the legal process, attracting new legal talent through courthouse internships, promoting consistency and efficiency in court operations, retaining the court's experienced staff, and protecting local access to justice for future generations. Together, these initiatives will build a court system that is more effective, accountable, and responsive to the people of Delta County.
Create a Mental Health Court
Delta County has a Drug/Sobriety Court which allows a person suffering from addiction to receive treatment and counseling rather than going to jail. As long as a participant does what is required as part of a two year program, they will not go to jail.
Mental health issues have ravaged our community in a similar way to drug addiction. Many counties have mental health courts that do the same thing for mental health that we are currently doing for addiction. Starting a Mental Health Court will reduce the amount of time police are responding to mental health issues, reduce the amount of domestic violence and other violent crimes, and ensure those with mental health issues do not repeatedly enter the criminal justice system.
Keep Drug/Sobriety Court Strong
Drug/Sobriety Court has been an important improvement to our courts. It allows the court resources to tackle high risk, high reward addiction and get those with addiction out of the court system, and into a system more beneficial to them and the community. It creates space in our jail for violent criminals and it reduces crimes stemming from addiction. Many counties have a drug court program and it is an essential aspect to justice in our community. I would like to build on the successes of our drug court.
COURTHOUSE INTERNSHIP
For years, Delta County has had more people retiring from the practice of law than we have had joining it. Prosecutors and court-appointed attorneys are overworked and frequently burn out or move on to more lucrative business. This has left people with minimal options when it comes to criminal representation, estate planning, and access to justice. Many people turn to attorneys outside the local area to represent them, meaning that our hard-earned money is ending up outside the county rather than being kept within it.
As a downstate transplant who came up to the UP on an internship, I know what it takes to get a downstate law student to take a chance and come up to Delta County. A paid public interest internship is a prized possession for a law student and we have a lot to offer. A courthouse intern, one that assists the judges in everything they do, would mean better research, better writing, and more care and attention spent on cases. It also means that we have the possibility of more prosecutors, more defense attorneys, and more money spent in our community than spent outside of it.
REDUCE THE TIME IT TAKES TO GO TO TRIAL
Long delays are harmful to the administration of justice. Witnesses have a harder time remember what happened, defendants face restrictive bond conditions long before a verdict, and victims live under a shadow of uncertainty.
By reducing the time that cases go to trial, it will lighten case loads for already overworked prosecutors and defense attorneys. It will make bond conditions easier to stomach and make it easier for the court to keep people in jail that present a danger to the community. It will also reduce costs at the jail and amongst law enforcement, and allow attorneys more time to handle more cases since each case takes less time to complete.
PROMOTE CONSISTENCY & REDUCE TIME IN COURT
Long delays are harmful to the administration of justice. Witnesses have a harder time remember what happened, defendants face restrictive bond conditions long before a verdict, and victims live under a shadow of uncertainty.
By reducing the time that cases go to trial, it will lighten case loads for already overworked prosecutors and defense attorneys. It will make bond conditions easier to stomach and make it easier for the court to keep people in jail that present a danger to the community. It will also reduce costs at the jail and amongst law enforcement, and allow attorneys more time to handle more cases since each case takes less time to complete.
KEEP THE CURRENT STAFF IN PLACE
Running a successful court is a lot of work, but it does not require reinventing the wheel. I’ve already had the privilege of working with many in the District Court as a former assistant prosecutor and as a current on-call magistrate. I have been able to see first hand that the court already has a good structure with excellent staff. When I am District Court Judge, I will keep the current staff in place. This will mean that when I am elected judge, that there will be minimal transitional issues between Judge Parks and myself.
SECURE ACCESS TO JUSTICE
For twenty years, the State Court Administrator’s Office (SCAO) has repeatedly made a recommendation to the legislature to get rid of the 94th District Court and send our court to Wayne, Kent, or Oakland counties. This would imperil our Drug/Sobriety Court and increase wait times in all cases in Delta County, including criminal cases, child support, child custody, adoptions, civil suits, and many other cases.
There is a simple solution to combating this issue: Vote for the Younger candidate.
SCAO will not remove a judge sitting on the bench who is doing their job. They will wait until after a judge retires to remove a bench seat from the community. If elected, I could serve the community for as many as 42 years. That means that we would be securing access to justice for decades, keeping our courts and their programs safe.