The judicial structure of the state of Michigan in the United States comprises of the Supreme Court, Michigan Court of Appeals and the local trial courts. Michigan Court imparts fair and equal justice to all the residents of the state.
Michigan Supreme Court
Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the US state of Michigan. Since it is the last place of appeal for the citizens it is dubbed as ?court of last resort'; the name itself justifies the significance of the Supreme Court. The court comprises of 7 justices; they are elected for a term of eight years. The candidature of the justices is based on the nomination from the political parties and the election is held on the basis of non partisan ballot. The justices in turn select the Chief Justice to serve a term of two years. The Governor of the state has the right to choose justices to fill up vacancies. The eligibility criteria for the Supreme Court Justices are license to practice law in the state and an age not exceeding 70 years. The Supreme Court is housed in the Michigan Hall of Justice in Lansing, the capital of Michigan.
Besides new case filings the Supreme Court usually hears cases that are actually review of the decisions of the Michigan Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court also has the authority to supervise the operation and execution of Michigan state trail courts. For smooth execution of its administrative responsibilities State Court Administrative Office assists Supreme Court, which is actually an agency of the court. The Supreme Court is actually the superintendent of all the state courts of the state.
The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission is another agency of the judiciary that deals with judicial misconduct allegations and any kind of misbehavior and infirmity. The opinions and the orders issued by the Supreme Court are published in Michigan Reports and North Western Reporter.
Michigan Court of Appeals
It is the intermediate judicial body of the state. This appellate court came into existence in the year 1963 and panels of 3 judges hear the cases. It works on the principle of ?stare decisis', which means that the precision decisions are based on the past decisions. This court has 4 judicial districts; they are Detroit, Lansing, Troy and Grand Rapids. The Michigan Court of Appeals is sited at Cadillac Place in Detroit. Its opinions are published in Michigan Appeals Reports and North Western Reporter privately published by Thomson West.
Michigan Circuit Court
The largest circuit court in the state of Michigan in United States is the Third Judicial Circuit, which is a judicial body comprising of three operating divisions and 63 judges. This Michigan Court has the authority to exercise jurisdiction over civil, criminal and family related matters. It has received the distinction of model urban court in US from the National Center for State Courts. It is recognized for its timely resolution of cases and effective case flow management.
