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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
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A
bend in the road is not the end of the
road...Unless you fail to make the
turn.
~
Helen Keller
Chief Judge
Robert J. Colombo, Jr. &
Tylynn
Puller
Court
Clerical Worker - FOC
Ms. Puller
has been employed with the Court for two
months.
May's Quote of the Month Winner
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Congratulations!
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1st Place
Annual Report Cover
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The
Court would like to congratulate Bojana
Vukovic from Theodore Roosevelt High
School for being the 1st
place
winner in our 2016 Annual Report Cover
Contest.
Bojana
is an exchange student from Serbia. Because
of this once in a lifetime opportunity, she
is experiencing life in the United States
in Wyandotte, Michigan. She was born in
Sombor, Serbia where she grew up with her
mother and aunt.
Her
artistic abilities were noticeable very
early, as well as her interest for art in
general. She enjoys painting, drawing, and
photography. She also enjoys experimenting
with all kinds of mediums, especially 3D
artwork. Her work has been recognized and
won notable prizes numerous times since she
started investing more time in art.
Since
the beginning of her education, she has
been achieving the highest grades.
When it
comes to furthering her education and
future career, her preference is social
studies. She is interested in philosophy,
psychology, and psychiatry. Her desire is
to specialize either in Europe or United
States.
She is
highly grateful for all the people in her
life that represent support and comfort.
She has met a lot of amazing people
here. Some experiences here have changed
her perspective and points of view. This
experience has also made her appreciate
what she has at home even more.
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2nd Place
Annual Report Cover
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The Court
would like to congratulate Shaunyáe
Henderson from Ombudsman - Westwood
Alternative High School for being the
2nd place winner in our 2016
Annual Report Cover Contest.
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3rd Place
Annual Report Cover
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The Court would
like to congratulate Griffin Ackley from University
of Detroit Jesuit High School & Academy for
being the 3rd place winner in our 2016
Annual Report Cover Contest.
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5th Annual
Walk for Justice
The Salvation Army William Booth Legal Aid
Clinic recently hosted its 5th Annual Walk
For Justice at the Detroit Zoo. The
fundraising event attracted over 500
supporters, including many judges,
administrators and staff members from Wayne
County Circuit Court and Friend of the
Court, as well as other esteemed members of
the legal and business community. Through
sponsorships by a cross section of local
businesses and dedicated individuals,
guests enjoyed live entertainment,
refreshments, and an array of auction items
to bid on including tickets to sporting
events as well as gift certificates to a
wide variety of leisure activities and
social outings at dozens of popular
metropolitan venues and restaurants.
Proceeds from the event help the WBLAC fund
various outreach programs including a
family law clinic held weekly with the
Wayne County Friend of the
Court.
To see
more pictures of the event, please use the QR
code to watch the video.
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16th Annual
Black Women's
Business Expo
A
Business Expo seems an unlikely place for
a Court Informational table, but in the
midst of the busy excitement of the
16th Black Women's Business Expo,
the Third Circuit Court shared
information on jury service and child
support. The Business women
--vendors and attendees--stopped at the
Court's table. The questions of
the day were how to enforce existing
child support orders, how people were
selected for jury selection, and how to
take care of unmanageable child support
arrears. One vendor who teaches
entrepreneurship to young women shared
how many of them had child support issues
and requested information packets to
share. The event organizers thanked
the Court for its participation, and it
looks like the Court needs to be on hand
for the 17th Black Women's
Expo.
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Join our E-mail List and receive our monthly E-mail
newsletter from the Third Judicial Circuit Court
and stay informed.
Please send us your name and email address to
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3cce-news@3rdcc.org
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Greetings,
April
showers bring May flowers? Although the weather
remains unpredictable, the Third Circuit Court team
continues to roll out its spring
agenda. The annual
Law Day event, the staff and stakeholder training
on Secondary Trauma, and the Civil Division's
kick off of its first Civil Bench-Bar Meeting
sponsored by the Detroit Bar Association are just
some of this month's highlights. Please
enjoy the newsletter and feel free to forward
your suggestions for future Third Circuit
Court events
and legal Community topics you would like
covered. Our email address is 3CCE-News@3rdcc.org. Hope to hear from you soon.
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WELCOME JUDGE BAZZI
Judge Mariam Saad Bazzi was appointed to the Third
Circuit Court in May of 2017. Judge Bazzi
received her bachelor's from the University of
Michigan - Dearborn in 2001 and her
Juris Doctorate
from Wayne State
University Law in 2005. She has over 11 years of
experience prosecuting various types of criminal
cases at the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office,
where she most recently served as the lead attorney
in charge of the Deed and Mortgage Fraud Task
Force. As such, she oversaw a multi-agency unit
that prosecutes financial crime, complex and high
profile cases.
Judge Bazzi had been involved in the community for
many years. She is a member and previously served
as the President of the Arab American Political
Action Committee (AAPAC) from 2010 to 2014 and is a
member of the Dearborn/Dearborn Heights League of
Women Voters. She is also a member of the Michigan
and Wayne County Bar Association.
Prior to her appointment to the circuit court, she
was elected and served as President of the Dearborn
Board of Education and Chair of the Henry Ford
College Board of Trustees. She also served on the
Michigan Middle Eastern Affairs Commission and the
Environmental Justice Work Group for the State of
Michigan.
Mariam is married to Abdul Bazzi, a director of
Information Technology at General Motors and,
together, they have three young children.
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LAW DAY - 2017
Led by a Circuit Court Judge and local attorney
volunteers, students from 13 Wayne County high
schools participated in mock oral arguments
addressing legal issues raised by bullying on social
media. StopBullying.gov reports from a 2014 study,
"15% of high school students (grades 9-12) were
electronically bullied."
Justice Bridget M. McCormack served as
the keynote speaker and welcomed the students with
the hope of further sparking their interest in
pursuing a career in the legal field
professions. Antoinette S. Porter, one of the
program coordinators, shared, "You never know
how an experience like this can shape someone's
future." Antoinette is a Detroit Bar
Association Board Member and Employment Counsel for
DTE Energy. The Law Day Program continues to
be the pride and joy of Chief Judge Robert J.
Colombo, Jr., "A unique opportunity for our young
people to get up close and personal with judges and
lawyers."
Hon. Melissa
Cox - Benjamin Carson
Hon. Daniel Hathaway
Detroit Delta Prep
Hon. Kevin Cox
- Voyageur College
Hon. Qiana Lillard - Detroit Loyola
Hon. Annette
Berry - Henry Ford
Hon. Karen Braxton - Renaissance
Hon. Robert J. Colombo, Jr.
Hon. Richard Halloran - Cass
Tech
Western International
Hon. Frank
Szymanski - East English Village
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Office of the General Counsel - Shout
Out
As May is
the month in which Law Day is
recognized, Chief Judge Colombo
recognizes the fine legal minds in
the Office of The General
Counsel. Under the leadership
of Richard Lynch, the office
provides services to the Civil,
Criminal, Juvenile, and Domestic
Relations Divisions; oversight of
the law library and the Self-Help
Center; and services to the various
administrative departments.
The attorneys, law librarian,
navigator, and administrative
assistants use their legal talents
and skills to ensure the Court
fulfills its mission to provide
accessible and equal justice with
timely dispute resolution.
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As Chief Judge of Third Judicial
Circuit Court, I am pleased to
announce that effective May 22,
2017, ToieLynn Smith has been
appointed to the position of
Chief Assistant of Administrative
Operations in the Juvenile
Section of the Family
Division.
ToieLynn has worked for the Court
over 21 years in various
capacities. She began her
career with the Court as a Court
Clerical Worker in 1996.
She also worked as a Purchaser
for the Court (1998-2009),
Information Specialist
(2009-2010), Clerical Services
Supervisor (2012-2013), and
Docket Services Supervisor
(2013-2016). Her most
recent position has been in the
Juvenile Section since February
of 2016 as the Manager of
Specialty Court Services.
ToieLynn is a graduate of Central
Michigan University from where
she holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in Community
Development. She also is
seeking a certification from
Michigan State University in
Judicial
Administration.
Please join me extending
heartfelt congratulations to
ToieLynn Smith in her
appointment.
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April
2017 Jury Show Cause
On April
27th, 2017, Chief Judge Robert J.
Colombo, Jr. held show cause hearings for
jurors who failed to appear for jury duty in
2016. The Court offered a forgiveness
program the month of February 2017 which
allowed jurors who failed to appear to call
and reschedule a new date of service and
avoid receiving an order to show cause.
One hundred seventy-four jurors took
advantage of the forgiveness program.
The Court
issued 250 orders to show cause. Out of
those, 46 jurors submitted appropriate
documentation for excusal. On the day
of the show cause hearings, 203 jurors were
expected to appear, 109 appeared, and 18 of
those jurors qualified to be excused.
The
remaining 91 jurors were given an opportunity
for legal consultation with attorneys
Christine Grand and William Winters who
served as House Counsel for the special juror
show cause. To these 91 jurors, Chief
Judge Colombo expressed the importance of
jury duty and explained that our jury panels
should be a representation of the Wayne
County population. Currently, 39%
of the Wayne County population is African
American and the Wayne County juries should
reflect that percentage. Juries that
reflect the community instill confidence in
our judicial system. All of these
jurors committed to new service dates during
the month of May 2017.
Chief
Judge Colombo will issue bench warrants
against the 94 jurors who failed to appear
for their show cause hearings. These
bench warrants will be entered in the LEIN
system like child support warrants so that
law enforcement can help ensure they report
to Court.
Jury Commissioner
Bonnie Leone, Jury Services Staff member
Ms. Hamilton, Jury Staff Member Ms.
Mitchell, and Jury Services Director
Yvette Blackmon are
pictured.
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The State of the Family Division & Friend
of the
Court
On
Friday April 28th, the Third
Circuit Family Division presented the annual
State of the Family Division/State of the
Friend of the Court address to the Family
Division staff and stakeholders in the
auditorium of the Coleman A. Young Municipal
Center. The Hon. Kathleen M. McCarthy,
Presiding Judge Family Division, introduced
the Family Division judges and summed up the
court's achievements in the past year,
including the launch and expansion of a team
approach to resolving prejudgment
motions.
Friend of the Court Kent Weichmann discussed
the challenges facing the Wayne County Friend
of the Court, and its tradition of
accomplishing more with less. He noted
the difficulty of recruiting and retaining
new employees, and the stress that recurrent
vacancies place on already understaffed
divisions.
On the other hand, Mr. Weichmann reported
that the Friend of the Court collections had
gone up for the second straight year,
reversing a decade long decline in
collections. The FAME department
successfully integrated into Friend of the
Court and now included child support
calculations to its custody and parenting
time evaluations. The entire office
moved into new quarters over the holiday
break with minimal disruption in service, and
the new facilities provide a much better
environment for the public. Despite
severe staff shortages, the Case
Establishment division suffered only slight
declines in their time standard performance
measures, and maintained a Paternity
Establishment Percentage of over 80% for the
second year in a row.
At the close of the presentations, Chief
Judge Hon. Robert J. Colombo Jr. administered
the oath of office to the assembled court
staff.
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Bench
Warrant Amnesty Results
Ninety-eight payers of
support took advantage of the Wayne County
Friend of the Court's Bench Warrant Amnesty
during the second two weeks of April 2017.
The program required child support payers
with bench warrants to pay $500.00 per
warrant and come into the Friend of the Court
to discuss their case with no threat of
arrest. One hundred and one warrants were
dismissed and $31,521.00 was collected for
the children on these cases.
Friend of
the Court warrants are issued when a payer of
support fails to appear for a Show Cause
Hearing to explain why he or she is not
making child support payments. To avoid
having a warrant issued, payers should always
keep their address updated with the Friend of
the Court and appear for their
hearings.
For any
questions regarding the Amnesty event or
anything Friend of the Court related, please
contact 1-888-543-2660.
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2017
Barristers Spring Bash
The Barristers
Spring Bash was held at Sinbad's Restaurant and
Marina on April 25th in support of the
Detroit Bar's School Partnership Program to
foster students' interest in the law.
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