Required Local Administrative Orders and Plans
Access to Juror Personal History Questionnaire
The State Court Administrator has adopted a juror personal history questionnaire. Upon completion by a prospective juror, the questionnaire is filed with the court clerk or the jury board. The only persons allowed to examine the questionnaire are the judges of the court, the court clerk and deputy clerks, parties to the actions in which the juror is called to serve and their attorneys, and persons authorized access by court rule or by court order. [MCR 2.510(A), (C)]
The State Court Administrator has developed model procedures for providing attorneys and parties reasonable access to juror questionnaires. Each court has selected and implemented one of these procedures by local administrative order adopted pursuant to MCR 8.112(B). If the State Court Administrator determined that, given the circumstances existing in an individual court, the procedure selected did not provide reasonable access, the State Court Administrator may have directed the court to implement one of the other model procedures. [MCR 2.510(C)(2)]
Appointment of Counsel for Indigent Parties
All trial courts must adopt and publish a plan to govern the process of selecting and appointing lawyers to represent indigent defendants and file it with the supreme court clerk and the state court administrator under MCR 8.123.
If a defendant is able to pay part of the cost of a lawyer, the court may require contribution to the cost of providing a lawyer and may establish a plan for collecting the contribution. [MCR 6.005(C)]
Select the guidelines.
Caseflow Management Plan
All trial courts are required to develop and implement caseflow management plans, which include case processing goals as established under Mich Sup Ct AO 2011-3. See
Caseflow Management Guidelines for details. Select
model LAO 22. (Rev. 9/11)
Children who are Absent Without Legal Permission (AWOLP) Plan
Circuit courts are required to develop a plan for reviewing the cases of children who are AWOLP. Supreme Court Administrative Order 2002-4 specifies the elements that are to be addressed in the plan. Guidelines for Development of Plans Involving Children who are Absent Without Legal Permission provide additional information for each required element that circuit courts are required to consider in developing plans. Plans are to be submitted as a local administrative order.
Court Closure Due to Weather Emergency
All courts must submit a local administrative order governing closure due to emergency weather conditions. In facilities containing multiple courts, the courts must adopt and submit a joint LAO. Courts with the same funding unit should also submit a joint LAO, if possible. The policy must provide that certain procedures will apply in the event of a weather emergency as outlined in the
Guideline for Unscheduled Court Closing Due to Weather Emergency.
Select model LAO 17. (Rev. 1/02)
Court Hours (Rev. 2/99)
The chief judge shall enter an administrative order establishing the court's hours. [MCR 8.110(D)(1)]
Family Court Plan
Each judicial circuit is required to establish a family court plan pursuant to MCL 600.1011, as amended by 2002 PA 682. Supreme Court Administrative Order 2003-2 further requires that the family court plan be submitted in accordance with the statute and guidelines provided by the State Court Administrative Office. Family court plans, replacing previous family division operation plans, were filed with the State Court Administrative Office by July 1, 2003. Any amendment to a family court plan must be filed with the State Court Administrative Office and accepted for filing before implementation of the amended provisions.
Inspection, Reproduction, and Creation of New Records
Unless access to a file, a document, or information contained in a file or document is restricted by statute, court rule, or an order entered according to MCR 8.119(F), any person may inspect pleadings and other papers in the clerk's office and may obtain copies as provided in MCR 8.119(E)(2) and (E)(3). A court, by administrative order, may make reasonable regulations necessary to protect its public records and prevent excessive and unreasonable interference with the discharge of its functions.
Select model LAO 8. (Rev. 5/12)
Judicial Availability Plan
In each county, the court with trial jurisdiction over felony cases must adopt and file with the state court administrator a plan for judicial availability. The plan shall: make a judicial officer available for arraignments each day of the year or make a judicial officer available for setting bail for every person arrested for commission of a felony each day of the year conditioned upon: (1) the judicial officer being presented a proper complaint and finding probable cause pursuant to MCR 6.102(A), and (2) the judicial officer having available information to set bail.
This portion of the plan must provide that the judicial officer shall order the arresting officials to arrange prompt transportation of any accused unable to post bond to the judicial district of the offense for arraignment not later than the next regular business day. [MCR 6.104(G)]
Magistrate - District Court
This local administrative order is required by Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Order 2009-6, effective January 1, 2010. The district judge may appoint a magistrate to serve at the pleasure of the judge(s) to exercise the jurisdiction and duties only as authorized by the chief judge, presiding judge, or only judge of the district court. [MCL 600.8501, MCL 600.8503]
Referee - Domestic Relations
This local administrative order is required by Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Order 2009-6, effective January 1, 2010. The chief circuit judge may designate a referee to exercise the duties set forth in MCL 552.507(1) and MCR 3.215(A).
Select model LAO 31. (Rev. 13/09)
Referee - Juvenile Non-Attorney
This local administrative order is required by Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Order 2009-6, effective January 1, 2010. The chief circuit judge may designate a non-attorney referee to exercise the duties set forth in MCL 712A.10 and MCR 3.913.
Select model LAO 32a. (Rev. 11/09)
Referee - Juvenile Attorney
This local administrative order is required by Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Order 2009-6, effective January 1, 2010. The chief circuit judge may designate an attorney referee to exercise the duties set forth in MCL 712A.10 and MCR 3.913.
Select model LAO 32b. (Rev. 11/09)
Update referee information -
Fillable PDF
Remote Hearings on Support and Parenting Time Enforcement Act Bench Warrants Plan
Each friend of the court must adopt a plan for the purpose of coordinating communication between circuits to facilitate the presentation of evidence by the friend of the court in a circuit that issued a bench warrant to a court in the circuit in which the arrested party is being held. Plans are to be submitted as a local administrative order. [MCR 3.221(K)]
Select model LAO 20. (Rev. 03/04)
Security Policies for Court Facilities
Supreme Court Administrative Order 2001-1 states that weapons are not permitted in any courtroom, office, or other space used for official court business or by judicial employees unless the chief judge or other person designated by the chief judge has given prior approval consistent with the court's written policy. Each court is required to submit a written policy conforming with this order to the State Court Administrator for approval. Courts are encouraged to collaborate with other entities in shared facilities and, where appropriate, to work with local funding units in developing the policy, which may be a separate plan or part of a general security program.
Select model LAO 15. (Rev. 12/06)
Selecting Case Evaluator and Case Evaluation Plans
Each trial court that submits cases to case evaluation under MCR 2.403 shall adopt by local administrative order a plan to maintain a list of persons available to serve as case evaluators and to assign case evaluators from the list of panels. The plan must be in writing and available to the public in the case evaluation clerk's office. Other alternative plans must be submitted as local court rules under MCR 8.112(A). [MCR 2.403(A)]