NOTE: Michigan is divided into 4 Court of Appeals Districts by County. Find your District here.

Court of Appeals Districts by County
FIRST DISTRICT			FOURTH DISTRICT (CONTINUED)
Calhoun	Hillsdale	Lenawee	Cheboygan	Chippewa	Clare
Monroe	Wayne		Clinton	Crawford	Delta
			Dickinson	Emmet	Gladwin
SECOND DISTRICT			Gogebic	Grand Traverse	Gratiot
Genesee	Macomb	Oakland	Houghton	Huron	Ingham
Shiawassee			Iosco	Iron	Isabella
			Kalkaska	Keweenaw	Lake
THIRD DISTRICT			Lapeer	Leelanau	Livingston
Allegan	Barry	Berrien	Luce	Mackinac	Manistee
Branch	Cass	Eaton	Marquette	Mason	Mecosta
Ionia	Jackson	Kalamazoo	Menominee	Midland	Missaukee
Kent	Muskegon	Newaygo	Montcalm	Montmorency	Oceana
Ottawa	St. Joseph	Van Buren	Ogemaw	Ontonagon	Osceola
Washtenaw			Oscoda	Otsego	Presque Isle
			Roscommon	Saginaw	Sanilac
FOURTH DISTRICT			Schoolcraft	St. Clair	Tuscola
Alcona	Alger	Alpena	Wexford
Antrim	Arenac	Baraga
Bay	Benzie	Charlevoix

Court of Appeals

Candidates were asked to summarize their backgrounds in 75 words and were allotted 75 words to answer each question. If the candidate did not reply by the required date for publication, the words “Did not respond in time for publication” appear under the candidate’s name.

Please summarize your background. (75 words)

1. What criteria will you use to disqualify yourself in cases where there is a real or perceived conflict of interest? (75 words)

2. What do you perceive as the greatest obstacles to justice, if any? (75 words)

3. What is your vision for the future of our judicial system? What changes would you advocate and why? (75 words)

First District Judge of the Court of Appeals – 6 Year Term – Vote for Three (3)

Karen Fort Hood Did not respond in time for publication.

Chris Murray

Christopher Murray is Chief Judge Pro Tem of the Court of Appeals, and was previously a Wayne Circuit Court judge. Judge Murray is on the board of directors for several bar associations, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and a member of the Model Civil Jury Instruction Committee. Judge Murray earned his JD at the University of Detroit School of Law, and his BA from Hillsdale College.

1. Like all Michigan judges, if presented with a recusal motion, or if I raise the issue myself, I would apply governing Michigan law on the issue. In particular, that would be the criteria set forth in MCR 2.003, as interpreted by our Supreme Court.

2. Although the question is somewhat ambiguous, if access to the justice system is the concern, I believe that greatest obstacle is the cost of litigating cases through the court system. Those who are indigent can proceed (with court approval) without paying costs and fees, but for those low to middle income people who can afford (but barely) to institute litigation, the costs are staggering. I saw this far too often in family law cases.

3. We have an excellent judicial system in Michigan. No system is perfect, and there is always room for improvement. The Court of Appeals should continue its delay reduction efforts, which have to date have resulted in significant time improvements for deciding cases. These time improvements are a big benefit to litigants. We also need to continue the expeditious handling of custody and termination of parental rights cases, while ensuring enough time for accurate and thoughtful…

Michael J. Talbot Did not respond in time for publication.

Second District Judge of the Court of Appeals – 6 Year Term – Vote for Three (3)

Mark J. Cavanagh Did not respond in time for publication

E. Thomas Fitzgerald Did not respond in time for publication

Henry William Saad Did not respond in time for publication

Second District Judge of the Court of Appeals – Partial Term Ending 01/01/2013 – Vote for One (1)

Elizabeth L. Gleicher Did not respond in time for publication

Third District Judge of the Court of Appeals – 6 Year Term – Vote for Two (2)

Richard A. Bandstra Chose not to reply.

Jane E. Markey Did not respond in time for publication

Third District Judge of the Court of Appeals – Partial Term ending 01/01/2013 – Vote for One (1)

Jane M. Beckering Did not respond in time for publication

Fourth District Judge of the Court of Appeals – 6 Year Term – Vote for Two (2)

Alton T. Davis Did not respond in time for publication

Patrick Murphy Meter Did not respond in time for publication

Fourth District Judge of the Court of Appeals – 6 Year Term – Vote for One (1)

Michael J. Kelly

Education: MSU/DCL, J.D. Regents College, London Law Programme, London, England U of M–B.A. 1989-1990: Research lawyer/law clerk to Michigan Circuit Court judge. 1990-1994: Associate lawyer, Edwin W. Jakeway, P.C., Grand Blanc, MI. 1995-Present: Private practice, emphasis in trial work and appeals. Over 100 jury trials, 50 appeals in the State Court of Appeals, Supreme Court and Federal courts. Civic Activities–Former Parish Council President St. Matthews Roman Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, Neighborhood Association-Maple City.

1. The criteria I would use to disqualify myself from a case is set forth in the Michigan Court Rules, MCR 2.003 as well as Canon 2 of the Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct. I would always err on the side of disqualification because impartiality is the cornerstone of judicial conduct and even a perceived conflict of interest can quickly spoil the public’s confidence in the justice system.

2. The greatest obstacles to justice in my view are the time and expense of litigation. Few people would dispute that cases take far too long to be resolved and the cost can break ordinary people. The other obstacle is political pressure affecting judicial decisions. The judiciary is the third branch of government and must be independent and free from any political influence.

3. Although I believe the jury system is the greatest part of our justice system I see a future with more private alternative dispute resolution methods such as arbitration and facilitation. While these may be fine for large corporations, I do not feel they should be forced on those who do not want to waive the right to a jury trial or cannot afford these very expensive private arbitrations or facilitations.

Paula Manderfield

Born and raised in the UP, I’m the 8^th of 12 kids. I earned my associates degree in Nursing(MTU) & later my BSN(MSU). I worked my way through law school(Cooley) as a nurse. I was in private practice for 10 yrs, and then ran for District Judge which I was for 8 years before running for Circuit Judge. Attorney for 26 years. Married with 4 children. My husband is on faculty at MSU in turfgrass.

1. I would disqualify myself if I have bias or prejudice toward a party; also when I or my family might have a financial interest in the outcome. Also when there is the appearance of a conflict and another judge is available I would do so. There is a specific court rule that applies to disqualifications and states the reasons a judge must disqualified such as being related to a party.

2. It is increasingly difficult for the average person to be able to afford to come to court to litigate a claim or to defend criminal charges. It is also very difficult for an injured person to recover damages in Michigan.

3. Continued use and expansion of Alternative Dispute Resolutions such as Facilitative Mediation. This saves money and time for all parties.