Greetings,
As a court we are moving into a new normal, the Civil Division judges held its first in-person, social distanced meeting, and the Court Administrators had one as well. Most attendees remarked that it was good seeing their colleagues in person. Zoom definitely helped us communicate the business items, but it restricted our freedom of chatting with a neighbor and catching up before the meeting was called to order. The consensus is that Zoom works for some things and we will combine Zoom and in-person meetings as we go forward.
Like Zoom meetings, we need to assess other operations and choose what the future will look like. As we move into the new normal, Judges, court personnel, and the legal stakeholders, and the community are asked to take a hard look at court operations during the pandemic and to identify the best practices and lessons learned. Our goal is to continue the things that served our mission and vision, and tweak, adjust, and discard the things that do not. Your thoughts and comments are welcomed. We look forward to hearing from you. Send your comments and thoughts to ExecutiveCourtAdministrationOffice@3rdcc.org.
Our Mission
The Court provides accessible and equal justice with timely dispute resolution.
Our Vision
As a national leader in court performance and the administration of justice, the Court is recognized for:
- Using innovative and best practices;
- Building trust and confidence in the judicial branch; and
- Providing exemplary public service, programs, and work environment including professional facilities and effective technology.
Our Core Values
- Fair: We are just, impartial, inclusive, and honorable in all we do.
- Proactive: We anticipate and prepare in advance for opportunities and challenges.
- Responsive: We are flexible and react quickly to changing needs and times.
- User-friendly: We are accessible and understandable.
- Collaborative: We involve and work well with each other, court users, and partners.
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Friend of the Court Referee Outreach
By Referee Hulen R. Simpson and Chief Referee Stephanie Witucki
The Friend of the Court endeavors to educate our community regarding family law issues and provide equal justice and holistic solutions to build trust and confidence. One way of doing this is through outreach which plays a critical role in improving and extending the reach of the Friend of the Court to facilitate access to information and services to populations who might not otherwise have access. Outreach increases awareness, adds credibility, and is valuable to our Friend of the Court call to action to serve and educate families and assist the court in domestic relations matters to promote the best interests of children.
One important outreach event that took place virtually in June of this year included raising awareness as to myths about the Friend of the Court. It was entitled “FOC Myth Buster, Myths and Urban Legends Debunked!” and was presented by Erin Lincoln, Friend of the Court-Deputy Court Administrator; Jillian Fitzgerald, Legal Director-Assistant Friend of the Court; and Referee Hulen R. Simpson. Some of the popular myths that were debunked at this outreach event included the following:
Myth: Friend of the Court will take all of your paycheck.
False: Friend of the Court will initiate an income withholding order with your employer in accordance with federal guidelines and there are limits on this amount.
Myth: Friend of the Court only cares about Mothers! Fathers don’t have any rights!
False: The law requires that the best interest factors be applied to determine custody and parenting time. The process is gender neutral and the focus is on the best interest of the child(ren).
Myth: I figured child support would just come out of my paycheck like it did at my last job.
False: It’s not always possible for Friend of the Court to automatically know when you have had a change in your source of income/benefits. The payer of child support must notify Friend of the Court of such changes.
2021 has been a challenging year for in-person events. However, by utilizing innovative Zoom technology in collaboration with our partners, Wayne County Friend of the Court referees have participated in the following community outreach, legal seminars, and informational sessions in May and June of 2021:
Detroit Bar Association Lunch and Learn 5/18/2021
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“Your Guide to FOC Services & Procedures” How to Start a Case, Paternity Establishment, Modification of Custody, Parenting Time, and Child Support; How to Manage Arrears, Docket Directive and 3rd Circuit Court Website overview.
Co-Presenter Referee Hulen Simpson
Legal Careers at the Wayne County Friend of the Court 5/20/2021
- Family Domestic Referee Bench and FOC Attorney Positions.
Co-Presenters Chief Referee Stephanie Witucki, Referees Hulen Simpson, Rosanne Hostnik, and Eric Gloudemans
Wayne County Family Court Bench & Bar Panel Discussion 5/22/2021
- Family Law panel discussion presented by Detroit Bar Association and Wayne County Family Law Bar Association
Co-Moderator Referee Lauren Wright Middleton
Wayne Metro Let’s Talk Fatherhood, Reflections, Challenges, and Triumphs 6/16/2021
- Family Law Matters: Custody, Parenting Time, Child Support, and Case Establishment.
Presenter Referee Hulen Simpson
9th Annual Wayne County Fatherhood Initiative Forum 6/24/2021
- Family Law Issues Which Affect You and Your Children: Establishing Paternity, Custody, Parenting Time and Support.
Presenter Referee Hulen Simpson
- FOC Myth Buster, Myths and Urban Legends Debunked! 6/24/21
Co-Presenter Referee Hulen Simpson
Looking forward, the challenge of continuing to provide our diverse community with informative educational information regarding family law issues through community outreach is paramount.
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Chief Judge Timothy M. Kenny, his wife June, Executive Court Administrator Zenell Brown, retired Magistrate Jane Colombo, and retired Chief Judge Robert J. Colombo at the DBA annual meeting.
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POWER COURT GRADUATION 2021
Friend of the Court’s POWER Court (Providing Opportunities for Work, Education and Respect), a special problem-solving court, recently held its annual graduation, virtually via Zoom technology, on July 20, 2021, to celebrate two participants’ accomplishments and successful completion of the program. Both graduates became gainfully employed during their participation in POWER Court and are consistently providing for the financial needs of their children.
POWER Court’s mission is to build a generation of financially and emotionally involved parents by providing resources to help ensure they are better able to make financial contributions and establish emotional bonds in the best interests of their children. Program goals include improving public service by assisting payers in identifying and obtaining wraparound type social service resources, increased collaboration between the Friend of the Court and local social service organizations, removing the economic barrier of non-payment of child support between the parents so that children can, ultimately, benefit from both parents becoming more cooperative and the non-custodial/non-residential payer parent taking a more active role in their lives, improving public perception of the Friend of the Court through outreach and education in a less intimidating environment, and increasing Federal incentives by establishing regular payments and disbursements on cases with little or no prior payment history.
POWER Court has been helping families for over 10 years and is operated by Chief Referee Stephanie Witucki and Senior Domestic Relations Specialist LaDonna Cato-Floyd. Since inception of the program in July 2010, POWER Court has served 307 participants with 581 cases between them and has celebrated 142 successful graduates from the program.
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The Michigan Supreme Court has honored our Third Circuit Court Judge Helal Farhat by selecting him to the newly created Michigan Judicial Council. Judge Farhat was selected from many judicial applicants around the State. He brings not only an excellent judicial perspective to the Council, but also the extensive experience of a trial litigator.
Please join the Court in congratulating Judge Farhat on his selection to the Michigan Judicial Council.
On June 24, Chief Justice Bridget McCormack announced the appointment of Executive Court Administrator Zenell Brown to the newly created Michigan Judicial Council. The Council is tasked with planning strategically for the Michigan judicial branch, enhancing the work of courts, and making recommendations regarding the administration of justice. The efforts of the Michigan Judicial Council will shape the direction of the Michigan judiciary for years to come.
The Court is most fortunate to have Zenell on the Council. She brings not only her skills and good judgment to the Council, but the voice of the Third Circuit Court.
The Court is grateful for the Supreme Court’s selection of Zenell.
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NAMI Honors Award
On Saturday, August 7, 2021, 3rd Circuit Court Judge Edward J. Joseph received the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Michigan Special Honoree Award, for the work of the Juvenile Mental Health Court in Wayne County. The event was held in Midland, MI, at the H Hotel. Judge Joseph and the 3rd Circuit Court started the Juvenile Mental Health Court Program (JMHC) in 2016.
The program serves young offenders and their families, by providing probationary and court services, along with Home Based Therapy and Wraparound services, through the Community Mental Health System. Attorney Educational Advocates are assigned to each youth. The program also uses community services projects and pro-social activities to keep youth engaged. This multi-disciplinary approach serves to keep youth from reoffending, to stay in school, and teaches the youth and their families the skills to manage their mental health issues through adulthood.
Pictured from left to right are: NAMI Michigan Director Kevin Fisher, Program Coordinator Deborah Nelson, and Judge Edward Joseph.
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IN MEMORY OF THOSE WE LOST
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In Loving Memory:
Your presence we miss, your memory we treasure, loving you always,
forgetting you never.
Hon. Karen Fort Hood, former Third Circuit and Recorder’s Court Judge.
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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.
Labor Day - September 6
Hispanic Heritage Month - September 15-October 15
Rosh Hashanah - September 6-8
Yom Kippur - September 15- 16
Sukkot - September 20-27
Shemini Atzeret - September 27-28
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