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LANSING, MI, February 27, 2013 – Hon. David F. Viviano, appointed to the Supreme Court today by Governor Rick Snyder, is “a man of unimpeachable integrity, an exceptional trial judge, and a recognized leader on the bench,” Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr. said today, reacting to Viviano’s appointment to the Supreme Court by Gov. Rick Snyder. “He is a welcome and wonderful addition to this Court.”
Young added, “Justice Viviano is uncommonly bright and learned in the law. But it is not his legal ability alone that makes him an outstanding jurist. He also knows that the role of judges is to interpret the laws, not to make them. He understands the deference due to the legislature as the body that expresses the will of the people through legislation. He is committed to following the rule of law wherever it leads him.”
Viviano, who has served as chief judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit and Macomb County Probate courts for the past two years, also brings a “forward-thinking perspective to this Court, demonstrating the kind of innovation that is so critical to the future of our justice system,” Young added. “My fellow justices and I entrusted then-Judge Viviano with the oversight of one of the largest and busiest circuit courts in the state, because my fellow justices and I had confidence in his abilities and leadership, and he did not disappoint.”
In 2012, Viviano was among those honored, along with the Michigan Supreme Court, with the G. Thomas Munsterman Award for Jury Innovation by the National Center for State Courts. Viviano and 11 other judges were selected by the Supreme Court to test a comprehensive package of jury reforms in a 2010-2011 pilot project; the Supreme Court adopted many of the reforms in September 2011. Viviano also headed the 16th Circuit’s e-filing project and advocated for other technological improvements to court services.“
Justice Viviano’s experience will help the courts use evidence-based practices to improve public service,” Young stated. “As a branch, we will be using performance measurement and technology to make the courts more responsive and efficient. Justice Viviano’s knowledge and perspective will be invaluable as we continue these efforts.”
Before being elected to the 16th Circuit Court in 2006, Viviano was in private practice with the law firm of Viviano & Viviano, PLLC and also served as city attorney for the city of Center Line. He previously practiced law with Dickinson Wright PLLC in Detroit and Jenner & Block LLC in Chicago. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Hillsdale College; he earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Michigan Supreme Court
Office of Public Information
Just in time for the holidays, kids are getting the chance of a lifetime: to be adopted. Four Michigan foster children were adopted throughout the state Tuesday.
The chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court is joining other judges in approving adoptions as part the state’s annual adoption day.
33 counties have scheduled adoption day events, many of them on Tuesday. Chief Justice Robert Young Jr. is finalizing some adoptions at the Supreme Court in Lansing, along with judges from Marquette and Saginaw.
Young hopes the public will be inspired to consider adoption or at least understand the needs of children who remain in foster care. More than 2,500 kids in foster care were adopted in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. Another 3,000 are hoping to be adopted.
Maura Corrigan, the head of the Department of Human Services, says all children deserve a stable home.
Some kicked off ‘Adoption Day’ early down in Jackson last week. 10 children were adopted last Friday.
—
WLNS
November 20, 2012
Photo gallery and video available at: http://www.wlns.com/story/20147563/michigan-holds-10th-annual-adoption-day
The Michigan Supreme Court took a time away from cases Tuesday to focus on finding loving homes for deserving children. About 3,000 children are in foster care right now, waiting for permanent homes.
The court says that’s too many and it’s hoping the state’s Adoption Day will change that.
Chief Justice Robert Young Jr. said it was a morning in court, unlike any other.
“We don’t see a lot of smiles, we certainly don’t hear a lot of applause and cheers and hugs,” Young said.
A morning, where the parties came to unify not debate. There wer no briefs, no oral arguments, only open arms and open hearts.
“It really changes your perspective on life, it’s not about you it’s about what you can do and provide for him,” Marie Carter, said of her adopted 4-year-old, Zen.
Carter and her husband Tom joined a number of families making it official before the Supreme Court. Zen is now family.
Carter says that means the world. “It’s Thanksgiving this week, so we have a lot to be thankful for,” she said.
The court ceremonies are usually private, but the court wanted to call attention to the gift of family and the great need for loving homes.
“It’s essential to a sense of well being to feel that you belong somewhere, that you are permanently associated with a family,” Young explained.
“It’s a gigantic commitment and it’s difficult sometimes, but it’s one of the most important things you can do,” Marquette County Judge Michael Anderegg said.
Lansing wasn’t the only city in the state to host Adoption Day events, 33 counties celebrated finalized adoptions and offered information on the process.
Carter hopes more will consider it.
“My husband and I have been trying to conceive for many years and haven’t been able to,” she explained. “I never thought it would be possible to be as connected as I am to another child outside of myself… it is. So my advice is, absolutely.”
The Department of Human Services says the need for homes is significant, but the state is making progress. More than 2,500 adoptions were completed in fiscal year 2012.
Video available at: http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/State-Supreme-Court-Turns-Focus-to-Adoption-180245761.html
WILX – 10
November 20, 2012
Reporter: Lindsay Veremis
By John Agar – mlive.com
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Fruitport Township police seized Kurtis Ray Minch’s 87 firearms after he was accused of holding a handgun – it was actually a starting pistol – to his girlfriend’s head and pulled the trigger.
All but one of his firearms, a short-barrel shotgun, was legal.
After he pleaded guilty to illegal possession of the shotgun and felonious use of a firearm, he asked that his legal firearms be given to his mother. But Muskegon County prosecutors argued that doing so would violate state law that prohibits felons from possessing, selling or distributing a firearm.
The state Court of Appeals agreed with a Muskegon County Circuit Court judge, who ordered the guns turned over to Minch’s mother.
On Thursday, Oct. 25, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments as 200 area high school students, taking part in a “We the People” curriculum, and local judges and attorneys, watched at Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
The traveling jurists – based in the Hall of Justice in Lansing – visit others cities periodically as part of “Court Community Connections.”
The idea is to give students and others an “inside look” at the appellate process, Chief Justice Robert Young Jr. said.
“A Supreme Court decision in one case can have an impact on people’s lives for years to come,” he said.
The students came from Comstock Park, East Grand Rapids, East Kentwood, and Potter’s House schools.
Sally Marsh, 16, and Tyler Larabel, 17, both East Grand Rapids students, have been studying the U.S. Constitution and working with attorneys as part of their class work.
“It was cool to see what we read about in text books in class,” Marsh said.
Larabel said he was interested in arguments over Constitutional issues. In particular, due process was argued throughout the case. He said students had been briefed on the case, which helped students as they heard the legal arguments.
They also knew that hearings in appellate courts differ from trial courts.
Appellate judges pepper attorneys with questions.
Young asked Charles Justian, the chief appellate attorney in Muskegon County, why Minch’s mother shouldn’t get the guns.
Young said: “The court order says the guns should be delivered to the mother. That’s how she gets them.”
Justian argued that Minch couldn’t legally deliver the guns to his mother because the law prohibits Minch from doing anything with the guns.
Minch’s attorney, Kevin Wistrom, said the Muskegon County judge’s earlier order should be enough for the guns to be turned over to Minch’s mother.
He added that his client’s due-process rights would be violated if police kept his guns without forfeiture hearings.
After the judges left, the attorneys answered students’ questions.
Justian said: “This is a situation where the Legislature should probably be called on to address it.”
The Supreme Court will issue a written opinion as it does in other cases. It will likely take several months, a court spokeswoman said.
Kent County Circuit judges Donald Johnston and Paul Sullivan invited the Supreme Court to Grand Rapids. They said local bar association members prepared students for the oral arguments, and provided background materials.
Published by mlive.com on October 25, 2012
A photo gallery of the events appears here: Students witness Michigan Supreme Court at Ford Museum 10/25/12
National Center for State Courts praises Michigan Supreme Court, pilot project judges for “sustained and comprehensive commitment to enhancing jury service”
LANSING, MI, September 12, 2012 – Michigan’s comprehensive jury reforms, and the Michigan trial court judges who tested them, are being honored along with the Michigan Supreme Court by the National Center for State Courts, the NCSC announced today.
The Supreme Court and 12 trial judges are the recipients of the 2012 G. Thomas Munsterman Award for Jury Innovation, given annually by the NCSC to recognize significant improvements or innovations for juries, NCSC President Mary C. McQueen said.
“Michigan’s jury reform pilot project demonstrated a sustained and comprehensive commitment to enhancing jury service through thorough testing of in-court reforms and revisions of procedural rules,” said McQueen.
NCSC Vice President and General Counsel Robert Baldwin will present the award to the Court and pilot project judges following the Court’s first oral argument on October 9. The ceremony will take place at 10:45 a.m. in the old Supreme Court courtroom in the state Capitol building.
Effective September 1, 2011, the Michigan Supreme Court adopted a comprehensive package of jury reform court rule amendments, despite initial and intense opposition from some Michigan attorneys and judges who feared the changes, Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr., explained. Before adopting the rules, the Court conducted a two-year pilot project in which 12 judges tested proposed reforms in actual trials and reported on their experiences. The Court also surveyed jurors, who strongly favored the reforms, such as permitting jurors to take notes, submit questions for witnesses in both civil and criminal cases, and discuss the evidence among themselves before final deliberations.
“These wide-ranging reforms allow jurors to be more truly involved in the fact-finding process – and, as a result, to make better-informed decisions,” Young said.
The Court’s jury reform effort began in 2005 when then-Chief Justice Clifford W. Taylor asked Justice Stephen J. Markman to review jury reform practices in other states and to propose rules for Michigan courts. After intensive study, the Court published a series of proposed rule changes for public comment in July 2005.
Reaction from Michigan’s legal community was swift – and largely negative, Young noted. “While non-lawyers favored the reforms, lawyers and judges generally did not,” he said. Despite this opposition, the Court did not abandon the reforms, but instead authorized the 2009-2010 pilot project that led to the rules’ adoption, he explained.
“Initially, some of the pilot project judges were very skeptical about these rule changes,” Young said. “By the end of the project, they had become converts and the most enthusiastic voices in favor of changing the rules. The pilot project judges displayed great courage, not only in testing these unfamiliar procedures, but also in becoming advocates for reform.”
The pilot project judges include
• Judge Thomas P. Boyd, 55th District Court, Mason, Ingham County
• Judge William J. Caprathe (retired) and Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt, 18th Circuit Court, Bay County
• Judge Richard J. Celello, 41st Circuit Court, Dickinson/Iron/Menominee counties
• Judge Beth Gibson, 92nd District Court, Newberry, Luce/Mackinac counties
• Judge Timothy G. Hicks, 14th Circuit Court, Muskegon County
• Judge Richard W. May, 90th District Court, Charlevoix/Emmet counties
• Judge Wendy L. Potts, 6th Circuit Court, Oakland County
• Judge Donald L. Sanderson, 2B District Court, Hillsdale County
• Judge Paul E. Stutesman, 45th Circuit Court, St. Joseph County
• Judge David Viviano, 16th Circuit Court, Macomb County
• Judge Peter J. Wadel, Lake County Trial Court/79th District Court, Ludington
The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Virginia, is a nonprofit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice. Founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and U. S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, NCSC provides education, training, technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts.
Michigan jury reform overview
• In civil cases, the judge “may instruct the jurors that they are permitted to discuss the evidence among themselves in the jury room during trial recesses.”
• Jurors can, with the judge’s permission, submit questions to witnesses through the judge. Criminal procedure court rules already contained such a provision, but the new rule includes jurors in civil cases as well.
• Jurors can, if permitted by the judge, take notes during trial; if the judge allows note taking, jurors must be allowed to use those notes during the jury’s deliberations.
• The jury can request to view “property or … a place where a material event [such as a crime scene] occurred.”
• After the jury is sworn, the judge “shall provide the jury with pretrial instructions reasonably likely to assist in its consideration of the case,” covering “the duties of the jury, trial, procedure, and the law applicable to the case ….” The rule also requires the court to give jurors copies of the instructions.
• The judge may “authorize or require” attorneys to provide jurors with “a reference document or notebook,” which would include a list of witnesses, relevant provisions in statutes, and copies of any documents at issue, such as a contract. Other items, such as preliminary jury instructions, trial exhibits, “and other admissible information,” can also be added to the notebook.
• Where it is appears likely that a deposition will be read to the jury, the judge “should encourage the parties to prepare concise, written summaries of depositions” for the jury instead of having the full deposition read aloud.
• In addition to making opening and closing statements, attorneys may, “in the court’s discretion, present interim commentary at appropriate junctures of the trial.”
• Judges may “fairly and impartially sum up the evidence” after closing arguments, while also reminding jurors that they must decide fact issues for themselves. The rule bars judges from commenting on a witness’s credibility or stating a conclusion “on the ultimate issue of fact before the jury.”
• Judges are required to give the jury a copy of the final jury instructions to take into the jury room for final deliberations. In addition, judges must invite jurors to ask any questions they may have to clarify the instructions.
• In addition to jurors’ notes and final jury instructions, the judge “may permit the jurors to take into the jury room the reference document … as well as any exhibits and writings admitted into evidence.”
• The judge “may not refuse a reasonable request” from jurors to review evidence or testimony as they deliberate.
• If the jury appears to reach an impasse during deliberations, the judge “may invite the jurors to list the issues that divide or confuse them in the event that the judge can be of assistance in clarifying or amplifying the final instructions.”
• The court can schedule expert testimony to assist jurors’ understanding of the issues – for example, by having expert witnesses testify sequentially. Another option is to allow each expert to be present for the opposing expert’s testimony, so that the expert can “aid counsel in formulating questions to be asked of the testifying expert on cross-examination.”
For the complete text of these rules, see http://www.courts.michigan.gov/supremecourt/Resources/Administrative/2005-19_06-29-11_order.pdf.
–Michigan Supreme Court Public Information Office
September 12, 2012
When judges become partisan players, the People’s rights will perish.
Beware of judges who tell you how they will rule on cases. They are almost never rule of law judges, because rule of law judges must follow the law, not their personal policy preferences. Those folks who can tell you whether a legal decision is good or bad without reading it are not constitutional conservatives because their policy preferences are not dictated by the law.
For nearly 15 years, I have stood firmly and proudly as a member of a Rule of Law Supreme Court majority that established a judicial system that respects the rights of the People in a self-governing constitutional republic. Our decisions have consistently enforced the right of the People, not judges, to make their own policy choices. This principle applies to the People’s legislative policy choices, their contractual choices and, most important, to the constitutional policies they have enshrined in our constitution.
The People of Michigan have specifically preserved to themselves the right directly to control their government through policies advanced in ballot initiatives and referenda. It is the constitutional obligation of judges to respect this constitutional right, not thwart it.
Those who opposed the People’s right to control their government by ballot proposals were just as adamant that the People not be given an opportunity to define marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman (2004) and to prevent government sanctioned racial and gender discrimination (2006). They failed. Both of these controversial initiatives were properly placed on the ballot because they complied with all of the ballot petition rules. The voters got to decide on their merits.
Again, the People have proposed a number of constitutional amendments for consideration at the November general election.
As before, opponents of those proposals launched legal challenges to keep them off the ballot. Some critics of the proposals have asserted that the Court should have kept them off the ballot because they were “bad policy.” This isn’t the Court’s function in a constitutional republic. Whether a policy is good or not is a question that the people or the people’s representatives must decide. Our job was to determine whether the proposals complied with the law that establishes the ground rules for voter initiated petitions.
Therefore, on Wednesday, the same Rule of Law majority – that has always striven to follow the law – respected the People’s right of self-governance and ordered those ballot proposals that complied with the republication requirements to be placed on the ballot. As our constitution requires, the People of this State will decide in November whether these proposals should be adopted.
While some may question the wisdom of one or more of these ballot proposals, one cannot, consistent with the principles of a constitutional government, permit or encourage judges to negate the People’s right to decide those policy questions where the proponents have complied with the laws to place them on the ballot.
Chief Justice Bob Young
By Chris Bonneau
The Detroit News, June 19, 2012
Recently the Judicial Selection Task Force testified before the Michigan Legislature on its recent report, which makes several recommendations regarding judicial selection. The most troubling aspect of the report is that the majority of the committee favors, though does not formally recommend, eliminating judicial elections.
Over the last year, a national debate has been brewing over how states select their Supreme Court justices. This debate is not unfamiliar to Michigan, where the people directly elect their judges. Nor is this sudden interest in judicial selection a coincidence.
Several powerful figures have recently coordinated to oppose judicial elections, including the American Bar Association, the American Judicature Society and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who serves as the honorary chair of the Judicial Selection Task Force in Michigan. They tout the commission-based method, “the Missouri Plan,” as an alternative to the partisanship of judicial elections.
But to assume that it eliminates politics or results in a more balanced judiciary is erroneous.
Political scientists have studied judicial elections for quite some time, and plenty of empirical evidence to quantify the impact of elections is available. After going through that data, I have found the following:
Elections do not prompt voters to view judicial institutions as less legitimate. From 2008-09, professor James Gibson of Washington University conducted a series of survey experiments and found that while legitimacy concerns may be raised by particular campaigns, those concerns are not raised when candidates engage in policy talk, negative ads or other ordinary incidents of a judicial race.
There is no discernible difference in quality between judges who are elected and those who are appointed. Recently, law professors Stephen Choi, Mitu Gulati and Eric Posner found that there was no difference between elected judges and appointed judges in terms of quality and output of opinions. They also found that elected judges are no less independent than appointed judges.
Though the authors of the study were cautious in interpreting their findings, any fair reading suggests that elected judges are at least equal to appointed judges in quality and independence.
Campaign spending is key to providing voters with a meaningful choice. Despite the many criticisms of campaign spending, my research has shown that the more money challengers spend trying to unseat an incumbent, the better they perform with the electorate. Limiting campaign spending with strict campaign finance laws also limits competition and increases the advantage of incumbency.
The Michigan Supreme Court plays a very important role in the lives of Michiganians, impacting everything from property rights and business transactions to criminal policy and traditional family policy. So it is extremely important that voters trust that their judges are adhering to the rule of law.
To suggest that elections are unable to deliver a fair court is just not supported by the data. Michigan’s justices and judicial candidates face incentives to be more open, transparent and accountable than if they were being selected behind closed doors by an unelected and unaccountable nominating commission, where special interests and political insiders would dominate.
Chris Bonneau is a professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120619/OPINION01/206190323/
New standards hold courts accountable for being accessible, moving cases promptly
The Detroit News
Chief Justice Robert Young
Michigan’s court system is clearly part of the reinvention of state government that is now under way. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Young Jr. is driving the courts toward change that appropriately emphasizes efficiency, transparency and — most of all — providing good service to the folks whose tax dollars support it.
These ideals are hardly revolutionary in other sectors, but let’s face it, the courts long have had an image of stodginess, obscurity and resistance to change. As Young noted in the just-released Michigan Supreme Court annual report for 2011, judges and courts often have stuck with traditions that keep them doing things in comfortable ways that don’t always best serve the public.
The most-noted evidence that the court system is on board with the reform agenda is legislation now passed and signed by Gov. Rick Snyder that over time will eliminate 36 trial court judgeships. That’s based on leadership from the State Court Administrative Office, the administrative arm of the high court, which last year recommended slashing even more judgeships — 45 — along with four Michigan Court of Appeals seats because of a declining population and court load.
That’s an important sign it’s a new day here. Lawmakers had added 30 posts to the judiciary going back to 1989 and, in the past had resisted proposed cutbacks. The reductions will save an average of $140,000 in pay per judgeship and around $6 million a year overall.
The wisdom of these moves is illustrated in the new annual report, which shows that cases continue to decline in every category and at each court level. For example, in district courts, the lowest and busiest level, the number of cases declined to 2.6 million, a drop of 200,000 from 2010 and more than 700,000 below the high of 3.35 million in 2003. Last year, there were 55,435 criminal cases, down from 58,325 in 2010. According to the report, the State Court Administrative Office also is continuing to push circuit, probate and district courts toward concurrent jurisdiction plans in which a judge from one type of court can be assigned to another court, as needed. These courts also share administrative functions.
The judiciary also is streamlining through technology. Courts increasingly are receiving and sharing files electronically, using videoconferencing to conduct hearings and accepting payment of tickets online.
More importantly as far as citizens are concerned, the courts are being held to efficiency goals and pretty much meeting them.
The goal for divorces and domestic relations cases, for example, is resolution within 364 days. According to the report, that target was met in 91 percent of all cases during 2011.
Ninety-six percent of circuit court felony cases were adjudicated within 301 days — important because studies have shown that swift, certain justice is a key crime deterrent.
Quality of justice is hard to measure, Chief Justice Young says, but it is possible to keep track of such factors as the length of time it takes to complete cases; or how often potential jurors are summoned, only to sit waiting all day and finally be sent home unused.
Performance measures, common among businesses in the private sector, now are coming to the courts. That’s a necessary and welcome change.
Chief Justice Young with Governor Snyder after the Governor signed the Judicial Resources Recommendation Bill, February 28, 2012.
JUDICIAL RIGHT-SIZING BILLS PASS HOUSE, HEAD TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNING; CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERT P. YOUNG, JR. PRAISES LEGISLATORS FOR ‘DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THE COURTS AND FOR THE TAXPAYERS’
LANSING, MI, February 14, 2012 – State legislators who passed bills to cut unneeded state judgeships came in for praise from Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr., as the last of the bills passed the House today.
Approved by the Senate last week, the bills now head to Governor Rick Snyder for his signature.
“The legislators are doing the right thing for the courts and for the taxpayers,” said Young. “In politics, it’s easy to grow the size of government, but it takes political courage to reduce it. These legislators showed their courage and their common sense.”
The Senate and House both overwhelmingly passed House Bills 5071-75, 5093-95, 5101-04, and 5106-07. If signed by Snyder, the bills, together with legislation already signed by Snyder, would cut 36 state trial court judgeships by attrition. “This is the largest cut in judgeships ever accomplished in the United States – it is unprecedented,” Young said.
When complete, the cuts will save the state approximately $6 million per year. The state will save about $750,000 by the end of 2012 from five open judicial seats that will be eliminated by the legislation.
The bills are based on the Judicial Resources Recommendations, a 2011 report issued by the State Court Administrative Office, the administrative agency of the Michigan Supreme Court. The report called for cutting 45 trial court judgeships in courts where the workload could be handled by fewer judges.
Young noted that SCAO has recommended cutting judgeships for many years. “But past Legislatures weren’t inclined to act,” he said. “The Senate and the House have taken a much-needed step by cutting judgeships that are no longer justified by the workload. This right-sizing of our judiciary is the front edge of reforms we need to make for a more service-oriented and efficient court system.”
Young said that the Supreme Court unanimously supported the 2011 Judicial Resources Recommendations and that the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Judges Association, the Michigan Probate Judges Association, and the Michigan District Judges Association also endorsed 2 the findings. He also credited the State Bar of Michigan for calling for setting the number of judgeships based on workload.
SCAO, the Supreme Court’s administrative agency, issues a Judicial Resources Recommendations report every two years. For more information on the 2011 report, visit http:/www.courts.michigan.gov/supremecourt/Press/2011JRR.html.
- Michigan Supreme Court Public Information Office, February 14, 2012
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Young Jr. holds Emery Lamp as he finalizes adoption proceedings for parents Eric and Jessica Lamp of Saranac. / ROD SANFORD/Lansing State Journal
By: Lauren Misjak
Lyn Chase balances 3-year-old Ruby on her hip with the easy grace of a loving mother.
Since the Dansville woman and her husband first met their newly adopted daughters – Ruby and 22-month-old Mara – nearly a year ago, they knew they were meant to be the girls’ parents.
Tuesday’s court hearings just made it official.
“They are just a joy to be around,” said father Kevin Chase. “They bring light into our lives every day.”
The Chases and two other Ingham County families were part of the 145 adoptions finalized across Michigan during the ninth annual Michigan Adoption Day.
Another pair of sisters, 13-year-old Angie and 11-year-old Elizabeth, also legally joined their “forever family” Tuesday – the Pheils of Stockbridge.
“I’m pretty psyched- big time,” said Elizabeth, who now has five additional older siblings. “When I first started (visiting Dan and Chris Pheils), I thought ‘This is kind of weird.’ But after a couple visits, once I started getting used to it I kept wanting to visit.”
About 30 counties recognized Michigan Adoption Day, which was designed to bring awareness and celebrate those who’ve permanently extended their hearts and homes to children in the foster care system.
“We hold it just before Thanksgiving so we all remember what we have to be thankful for,” said Department of Human Services Director Maura Corrigan, who spearheaded the annual day nine years ago.
Five floors below the Michigan Supreme Court chambers where the Pheils and Chases officially opened their arms to their newest kin, Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation that would help the 279 foster kids who have yet to meet adoptive families.
The Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care Act extends adoption, guardianship and foster care assistance until age 21, rather than 18, to better help in the transition to adulthood.
“I’m proud to say Michigan is becoming a leader of stepping up to the plate, saying we can’t leave these children just because they turn adults,” Snyder said.
“Let’s be relentless in making sure we’re taking care of the most important thing in our state: our children.”
Anthony Ashman, 20, of Macomb County, who spent seven years in foster care, receives help from a DHS program that pairs social workers at Western Michigan University with former foster children to further aid with growing responsibilities.
As part of the program, he received financial literacy training and has someone to lean on for help with finding housing and other issues. He applauded the new legislation, which is expected to be implemented next year after federal review.
“Everybody needs a person they can call on just to tell them about their day,” Ashman said.
“This extension of foster care will prevent young adults in the system from becoming another negative statistic.”
Lansing State Journal, November 23, 2011