Court and Community News from the Third Judicial Circuit

June 2024

2024 State of the Court

More than 100 people were in attendance and a couple hundred more joined for a livestream when Chief Judge Patricia Perez Fresard held her 2024 State of the Court in partnership with the Detroit Bar Association at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building Auditorium on May 1.

Chief Judge Fresard provided an overview of many of the Third Judicial Circuit’s accomplishments over the last 12 months, including new hires to the Executive Court Administration team, reports from the Civil, Criminal, and Family divisions, and priorities from the Court’s Human Resources team. Among the highlights:

• The Third Judicial Circuit, serving Wayne County, remains up to four times more active than its largest counterpart circuit courts in Michigan.
• The Court has achieved a 91 percent criminal case backlog reduction in 15 months, ending March 31.
• Executive Court Administrator Frank Hardester reviewed highlights of the Court’s recently updated Strategic Plan, and emphasized its “return to work” efforts to support the needs of the community.
• The Court hired nearly 70 new employees for a 12-month period leading up to May 1 and continues to host job fairs and promote openings for existing positions through a variety of mediums.
• The new Criminal Justice Center in Detroit will open later this summer. It will have expanded security features, confidential meeting space, spacious accommodations, and modern technology.

Pictured left to right: Volunteer attorneys David Karson, Kelsey Minor, Katherine Shensky, Eileen Scheff, John Foley, Jesse Stec and David Findling helped make the event possible by assisting attendees with their child support issues. 

The latest Free Child Support Help Program, sponsored by the Salvation Army William Booth Legal Aid Clinic, was held at the Wayne County Community College District Northwest Campus on Saturday, April 20, drawing a large crowd.

Friend of the Court Erin Lincoln opened the event with welcoming remarks and personally thanked all of the attorney and staff volunteers; William Booth Legal Aid Clinic Director Amy Roemer gave a short presentation on services the Clinic provides; and Domestic Relations Supervisor Leslie Murphy gave an overview of the State Discharge of Arrears Program.

Several community service providers were on site to offer their services, including The Children’s Center, Lakeshore Legal Aid, Michigan State University Extension – Health & Nutrition, Father’s Forward, Detroit Health Department, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Child Support & Pathways to Potential, Michigan Legal Self Help, ACCESS, Jury Services and MiSide – Community Impact Network.

Eight attorneys volunteered their time that day to help approximately 50 individuals with their child support, custody, and parenting time issues. The Friend of the Court received almost 20 applications for the State Discharge of Arrears Program. The overwhelming turnout of parents demonstrated the need for this type of legal support in the community.

A special thanks to the Friend of the Court and Call Center staff who helped organize and run the program and for whom this event would not have been possible – Dawana Andrews, Lynette Brinson, Amanda Johnson, Lori Kaczmarek, Heather Lutz, Carl Meyer, Chernel Moore, Leslie Murphy, Renee Nash, LaShakur Rice, and Tom

Smellie. In addition, thank you to the Salvation Army William Booth Legal Aid Clinic and its staff and volunteers for their help and support.

Friend of the Court staff members pose with Wayne County Community College District Senior Vice Chancellor/Northwest Campus President Furquan Ahmed at the Child Support Help Program. Pictured left to right: Lashakur Rice, Chernel Moore, Erin Lincoln, Lori Kaczmarek, Renee Nash and Dawana Andrews.

2024 Law Day draws students from 4 area high schools

Hon. Edward Ewell, Jr. speaks to local high school students following mock arguments in his courtroom during 2024 Law Day, held on May 7 at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building.

Nearly 100 high school students from Dearborn High School and Cass Technical, Northwestern and Western International high schools in Detroit participated in the Court’s annual Law Day activities on May 7. The event was held in conjunction with the Detroit Bar Association.

Mock arguments were held before member of the bench including the Hon. Annette J. Berry, the Hon. Edward Ewell, Jr., the Hon. Susan L. Hubbard and the Hon. Qiana Denise Lillard. Students argued on a topic related to social media and law enforcement agencies as both plaintiff and defense attorneys in each courtroom.

This annual event gives high school students from around the Detroit area the ability to learn more about the court system and its role in society. Following those arguments, volunteer attorneys, judges, and court staff will have lunch with participating students and discuss the particulars of their profession.



We appreciate the support of the DBA and volunteer barristers who came out for the event, and for the hard work of our Court employees to help execute it!

Welcome Referee Rutila!

Pictured left to right: Alyse Haas, Senior Staff Attorney, Dominique Peacock, Chief Special Assistant Prosecuting Attorney-Assistant Friend of the Court, Judge Mary Beth Kelly, Nancy Anderson (Lee Ann’s mother), Referee Lee Ann Rutila, Carlos Jackson (Lee Ann’s life partner) and Stephanie Witucki, Chief Referee.

Lee Ann Rutila was sworn in as a Family Division-Domestic referee for the Third Judicial Circuit by the Hon. Mary Beth Kelly on May 9.Third Circuit Court-Family Division. Lee Ann was raised in Traverse City, serving in law enforcement for five years before pursuing a career in law. She earned her BA from Western Michigan University and her JD from Cooley Law School in Lansing.

Lee Ann formed her own law firm shortly thereafter and continued in private practice for 13 years with a primary focus on family law cases in mid-Michigan before joining the Wayne County Friend of the Court as a Staff Attorney in 2022. Lee Ann has 2 fur babies, Stella (newfie-poo) and Julio (golden retriever), and enjoys spending time with her adult son, Alex, and life partner, Carlos. In her free time Leann Ann is involved in home remodeling and outdoor activities.

Congratulations to Jeff Soboleski on Retirement!

Jeff Soboleski (front row, 4th from the left), celebrates his retirement luncheon with colleagues from the Court's Budget & Finance department.

The Court extends its best wishes and gratitude to Jeff Soboleski on his retirement following nearly 30 years of service with the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan. Jeff started with the Court in December 1994 in the Budget and Finance department's Internal Audits sector, working with the Friend of the Court. After 15 years, Jeff moved to the Grants sector and has been there ever since managing the Cooperative Reimbursement Program Grant for the FOC.

It has been a privilege to work with Jeff because of the passion he always brought to his role. That passion and dedication has positively influenced the Court over the years. Whatever Jeff decides to do in the future, we know that he will pursue it with the same enthusiasm and commitment to hard work that he displayed with us. And we know that some of those special "to do" projects at home will finally have his attention! Congratulations Jeff!

Wayne County, Third Judicial Circuit lead juvenile probation reform efforts

The team from Wayne County above represents one of just five jurisdictions in the U.S. selected for the Transforming Juvenile Probation Certificate Program in Washington DC this June.

Wayne County is one of just five counties in the U.S. that has been selected for the Transforming Juvenile Probation Certificate Program. Twelve county officials, including representatives of the Court, will travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the certificate program in June. This is the latest of many examples of how the Third Judicial Circuit is an early adopter in instituting juvenile probation reform in Michigan.

As part of the program, Wayne County participants will learn how to institute a safer, youth-cen­tered approach to juve­nile pro­ba­tion. While in Washington DC they will receive tech­ni­cal assis­tance as they devel­op a cap­stone project that iden­ti­fies a clear action for trans­form­ing juve­nile pro­ba­tion in the county.

The program, and juvenile justice reform in general is fully supported by the Court, which thanks the Annie E. Casey Foundation for its support of the Transforming Juvenile Probation Certificate Program. Special thanks also goes out to Hon. Karen Braxton for leading the Wayne County team. More information will follow in the coming months.

The Third Circuit Court was honored to host representatives from the Indonesian Judiciary during their U.S. tour. 

Chief Judge Patricia Fresard, Judge Mariam Bazzi, Executive Court Administrator Frank Hardester, General Counsel Margaret Flanagan, and Case Processing Director Nancy Hames led a valuable discussion on a variety of topics. The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta helped organize the event.

Celebrating our Cover Contest winners

Court employees focus on continuing education

61^st Annual Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association Conference

Pictured left to right: Jillian Fitzgerald, Juanita Hawkins, Daydrea Dennard, Paula Blackwell, Saundra Poe-Wheeler, Heather Lutz, Jared Hocker, Vickie Huguley, Edith Shrivers, Keila Harvey, Tracy Calhoun, Chloe Lucas, LaShan Bradley, Yolanda Houston, and Rosemary Christian.

The 61^st Annual Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association conference was held April 7^th through the 11^th in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids is the hometown and final resting place of President Gerald R. Ford who signed the law creating the federal Child Support Enforcement Program in 1975.  

Approximately 150 Michigan child support workers were in attendance, of which 19 were from Wayne County Friend of the Court.  

The intergovernmental conference included sessions on basic, intermediate, and advanced Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) scenarios; a roundtable discussion of large mid-north states, tribal workers, and international partners; intergovernmental enforcement and modifications; tools for working an interstate case; jurisdictional issues; and much, much more. 

During a break that Monday, attendees were able to watch the solar eclipse together on the hotel rooftop pickleball court.  

The conference was a great opportunity to meet and learn from child support workers in other states. Over 600 child support workers were in attendance from all across the country, most east of the Mississippi River. In addition to making new contacts, it was a wonderful chance to meet interstate workers that we have worked with by phone or email, face-to-face. 

For instance, Senior Staff Attorney Heather Lutz was able to meet Sandra John from Switzerland who she worked with on an international child support case. Ms. John said how excited she was when she found out that Ms. Lutz was going to be attending the same conference and praised her, saying that "It was wonderful to meet Heather in person, as she had already bridged the way through excellent and very pleasant cross-border collaboration."  

Above: Erica Lutz and Sandra John at the ERISCA conference.

Intimate Partner Violence Training for Court Employees

Pictured left to right: First Step staff Vanity Catoni-Ellis, Alexis Reed, Mo Williams, Audriana Buchanan-Cronk, Laura Stemen, and Growth Works staff, Sarah Cross.

Leaders from First Step came to the Court to provide Family Domestic Judges and employees in Family Domestic and FOC with training on intimate partner violence on April 12. It was the first training in a series of educational courses that is made possible through a partnership of First Step, Growth Works and the Court, and supported by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women Justice for Family’s Grant.

During training staff learned to recognize manipulative tactics and red flags of abuse and were educated about trauma-informed approaches in communicating and working with survivors. The training has two parts and each will be offered to staff on two separate dates. The training was well received by staff with many commenting that they were not sure what to expect, but were quite happy with what they learned.

This project was supported by a grant awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.