February 2022 Newsletter - Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan
Greetings,

Third Circuit Court is navigating to normalcy. In-person jury trials continue in the Civil and Criminal Divisions. The Friend of the Court has opened its payment window and offers video customer service appointments. Beginning March 1st, the Domestic Relations Division will open for in-person filings to help reduce the backlog. Stay tuned for the details. 

The Court acknowledges and recognizes the efforts of the judges, administrators, staff, jurors and judicial partners who have been flexible while technology was deployed and needed changes in practices and policies were implemented. The Court is appreciative of the feedback that the bar and legal community have provided regarding operations during the pandemic.  The reports from the legal community meeting are available on the website at https://www.3rdcc.org/Documents/Administration/General/Courtwide_Legal_Community_Report.pdf.

Third Circuit Court continues to move forward to a new normal, adopting best practices, but the mission remains the same: to provide accessible and equal justice with timely dispute resolution.
Welcome Our New Wayne County Friend of the Court Referees

The Wayne County Friend of the Court Referee Department welcomes two new referees who started in January 2022.
 
Referee Pamela Tracy joins the department as a full-time referee and will be assigned to the case establishment docket hearing cases that have been referred by the State of Michigan to the Friend of the Court to establish custody, parenting time, child support, and paternity in some cases. Referee Tracy graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Bachelor’s Degree, with Honors, in Sociology. She then attended Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University with the intention of specializing in corporate law. After taking a Domestic Relations Law class, Referee Tracy realized that was her true calling. She began practicing family law in 2001 and practiced that almost exclusively until January of 2022. Referee Tracy has worked for Abrams, Yu & Associates PC; Cohen & Associates PC; Law Offices of Pamela M. Tracy; Lakeshore Legal Aid; and Bowyer, Midtgard & Nacy. According to Referee Tracy, although she loves family law and always felt like she was very understanding of her clients’ situations, it wasn’t until she went through her own divorce that she truly understood the emotional and economic impact of divorce. She truly understands the difficulty, as well as the importance, of learning to co-parent after divorce. More importantly, she says that she understands that the needs of children must outweigh the bitterness and resentment that can occur between divorcing spouses. Referee Tracy is hoping to bring this knowledge to the bench with her to help guide litigants from making some of the mistakes she made in this process. 
 
Referee Alicia M. Bianchi joins the department as a full-time referee and will be the assigned referee to Honorable Adel A. Harb’s docket hearing primarily pre and post-judgment custody, parenting time, and child support motions. Referee Bianchi began her legal career providing holistic legal services to survivors of domestic violence as the Supervising Attorney at the Free Legal Aid Clinic at Wayne State University. After spending some time as a Judicial Attorney for the Third Circuit Court, Referee Bianchi moved to a boutique law firm in Detroit where she focused her practice exclusively on family law matters. Referee Bianchi is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, serves as the Treasurer of the Wayne County Family Law Bar Association, and is a founding board member of a local domestic violence organization.
 
In addition to our newest members above, the Friend of the Court Referee Department is currently comprised of 11 full-time referees and 2 part-time contractor referees who have a combined total of more than 100 years of referee experience hearing matters primarily involving custody, parenting time, and child support related issues. The Friend of the Court referees care about the families who appear before them and work hard to resolve child-related issues in the best interest of the children and in accordance with the law.
IN MEMORY OF THOSE WE LOST

In Loving Memory:
Your presence we miss, your memory we treasure, loving you always, forgetting you never.


Shaundrea Whiting served the Court as a Domestic Relations Specialist in Case Establishment in the Court’s Family Division – Domestic Division.
For Immediate Release

Contact:  Hon. Timothy M. Kenny, Chief Judge
Zenell B. Brown, Executive Court Administrator
(313) 224-2236
 
Subject: 2021 Third Judicial Circuit Court Annual Report Cover Contest
 
Detroit, MI – “Wayne County is blessed to have many gifted graphic arts students. We encourage these talented high school students to submit their creative designs for the cover of the 2021 Third Circuit Court Annual Report,” says Chief Judge Timothy M. Kenny.

The Third Circuit Court is pleased to announce its 2021 Annual Report Cover Contest. This contest is open to high school students who reside in or attend Wayne County schools. The contest commences at 9:00 a.m. ET on March 1, 2022 and ends at 4:00 p.m. ET on April 15, 2022.

The 2020 Annual Report Cover Contest winner was Jourdan May. He attended William D. Ford Technical Center. He plans to pursue a career in graphic design. He would like to attend College for Creative Studies or CalArts for Illustration.

The entrants in the 2021 Annual Report Cover Contest have the opportunity to win the following prizes:

  • The 1st Place winner will be awarded a laptop computer, 1st Place plaque, and have a reproduction of his or her artwork appear on the cover of the 2021 Third Judicial Circuit Court Annual Report, with his or her name listed as the artwork creator.
  • The 2nd Place winner will be awarded a $100 Visa and/or MasterCard gift card and a 2nd Place plaque.
  • The 3rd Place winner will be awarded a $50 Visa and/or MasterCard gift card and a 3rd Place plaque.

To see the winning entries from last year, view the contest eligibility rules, award information, and details, please visit our website at 3rdcc.org.
THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CALENDAR

The Third Circuit Court Diversity and Inclusion Team’s Mission: "We appreciate our common connection and respect our diverse and unique human experiences. We move forward as an inclusive organization as we provide accessible and equal justice."

The Court’s Diversity & Inclusion Team strives to ensure the values of its diverse bench, staff, and court users are acknowledged and reflected in our delivery of service as well as our work environment.

In that spirit, the team creates and shares a monthly list of various holidays and observations along with some celebration suggestions. We invite our work community and the community at large to contribute.

March 2022
Women’s History Month
National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Irish-American Heritage Month
Deaf History Month
Self-Injury Awareness Day - March 1
World Teen Mental Wellness Day - March 2
Ash Wednesday - March 2
National Hospitalist Day - March 3
National Be Heard Day - March 7
International Women’s Day - March 8
National Working Moms Day - March 12
Freedom of Information Day - March 16
St Patrick’s Day - March 17
World Down Syndrome Day - March 21
Epilepsy Awareness Day - March 26
National Doctors’ Day - March 30


Local Activities and Highlights
 
Many local organizations host activities and play an ongoing role in holidays and observances listed above.
 
For Women History Month Activities, visit:

  • Michigan Women Forward at https://miwf.org/herstory/hall-of-fame/
  • Michigan Women Lawyers of Michigan at https://womenlawyers.org/
  • Black Women Lawyers Association of Michigan at https://blackwomenlawyers.org/
 
Visit the Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers at http://irish-lawyers.org/. They will host their St. Patrick’s Day Parade Brunch on March 13, 2022 at Mario’s in Detroit.
 
Read about the various Michigan Historical Markers for the Michigan School for the Deaf, the Superintendent’s Cottage, and the Birthplace of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf at https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=178343.

The Diversity & Inclusion Plan can be found on the Court’s website or clicking below.