Community Engagement
The 3rd Circuit Court should continue to reflect the diversity of Wayne County while also being an active member of the community. In order to provide better services that meet community members where they are and make the Court more accessible, the Court needs to ensure that it has enough staff on hand. It is also important that the Court take steps to better communicate with the community about the services it provides, such as legal aid resources, specialty courts, special accommodations, and more. The Court has already made great efforts to engage the community with the FOC Outreach Team, but there is opportunity to go further and implement a similar program in the Civil and Criminal divisions as well.
Accessibility of Services
At the foundation of any courtroom is ensuring that people are able to access the services the Court provides. I believe one of the primary services, is having your day in Court and getting your orders timely. This means that the Court should have ample staff to adequately meet the needs of the community, helping to reduce wait times caused by the current backlog in cases. It is also important that the Court prioritizes timely hearings and entry of orders and provide translation services for those who speak a language other than English, as well as support for those with audio and visual impairments.
Civil Justice Reform & Access to Civil Services
While much of the legal community’s attention has been focused on criminal justice reform and rightly so, one of my priorities as 3rd Circuit Court Judge is to also advocate for and implement civil justice reforms. Those civil justice reforms include expanding access to counsel in civil and family law proceedings, making sure that parties are properly served with the Complaint on a case, making sure that parties receive proper and timely Notice of Hearing, and making sure cases are timely scheduled and orders entered.
Continuing Criminal Justice Reforms
As a woman of color with over a decade experience working in Wayne County’s 3rd Circuit Court and Washtenaw County’s 22nd Circuit Court, I understand how important it is that we continue to reform our criminal justice system. We’ve made progress, but there’s still a long way to go in ensuring we’re focused on rehabilitation and restorative justice rather than just punishment. The Court must continue efforts to provide alternatives to incarceration, expand the use of treatment courts, and engage the use of mental health facilities. It is important that we take measures to stop the criminalization of poverty, as well as provide legal aid resources to the public at large so those who interact with our justice system can do so fairly and with adequate counseling.
Responsible Court Administration
Given that the 3rd Circuit Court is a large recipient of Wayne County’s public tax dollars, it is important that we provide residents with a well-run and efficient court system that is fair and accessible to those from a variety of backgrounds. One of my top priorities is to ensure efficient scheduling of hearings and timely entry of orders. I will continue to support the use of gender-neutral language and other diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that reduce and eliminate systemic and implicit bias in the legal system.
Courtroom Expectations
I cannot give guarantees about the outcome of any case. What I can and will do is ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, that you fully understand your proceedings and why you are in court, that I apply the law equitably and equally, and you are judged based upon the admissible evidence and not the court of public opinion. Innocent until proven guilty should not be treated as a catch phrase. You will have your day in court. These assurances are things I have done throughout my practice, that I do now as a Referee, and that I will continue to do for the Wayne County community as a 3rd Circuit Court Judge.