WE CAN DO BETTER - PART 2

WE CAN DO BETTER 2

By Alan Miller, Candidate for Judge Superior Court II

Efficiency and Scheduling

There are problems within the county court system. In the next several weeks, I will post my proposals that outline how I think we can do better. 

Today, I will continue to discuss my proposals related to efficiency in the courts. 

General scheduling will be reevaluated 

It is not uncommon to see 20-30 people waiting for a hearing in Dearborn Superior Court II at any one time, especially on Tuesday mornings and afternoons. It is also not unusual to walk past the Superior II courtroom to find it is empty. While the cause of this inconsistency is not immediately apparent, it is evident that there needs to be a long, hard look at just how the court hearings are scheduled and whether scheduling can be done in a more consistent and efficient manner.

The busyness and overcrowding of the courtroom are often blamed on the smaller space in which this court must operate. Instead of seeking solutions to effectively utilize the existing space, this particular courtroom will soon be moved to a larger area within the courthouse. This move was made possible largely because of the continued and literal expansion of the criminal justice system, necessitating the purchase of an additional building adjacent to the courthouse.

Instead of blaming the problem on external factors outside the court’s control, one could have walked up a couple of flights of stairs to the admittedly larger, yet often uncrowded and organized courtroom of Judge Jon Cleary of the Dearborn Superior Court No. 1 to see that a court can be run efficiently. It is easier to compare the Superior Courts, given the similar caseloads and the types of cases handled. However, it is worth noting that even with the larger caseload and wide variety of issues handled on a day-to-day basis, the Dearborn Circuit Court, Judge James Humphrey presiding, is rarely lagging behind schedule or overcrowded.

There must be a complete reassessment of the court’s scheduling practices to ensure that the court is getting the most out of each and every day. Not only will I seek workable solutions to this problem, but I will also seek the advice of my fellow judges to get their input as to how best to utilize court time and space. 

This is the second part of my platform statement; a detailed proposal for how to improve our current justice system. It will be released over the next several months through facebook.com/makeitmiller2012 and makeitmiller2012.com. PLEASE feel free to forward this to your friends and family.
Thanks for your continued support!

Alan Miller