Two former Macomb County Circuit Court judges who currently serve on the state Court of Appeals are among four judges selected Wednesday to serve on Michigan Court of Claims.
Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr. said the four judges — all of whom serve on the appellate bench — were chosen by a unanimous Supreme Court “for their outstanding legal ability, including their diverse experiences as former trial judges managing trial dockets, since the Court of Claims operates as a trial court.”
The appointees are:
• Judge Pat M. Donofrio. Donofrio, who was a Macomb County Circuit Court judge and served as presiding judge of the court’s civil/criminal division before his appointment to the Court of Appeals in 2002 by Gov. John Engler
He was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2004 and 2010. Donofrio, who earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Wayne State University, was in private practice as a litigator before becoming a judge.
He has been on the faculty for the Institute for Continuing Legal Education, the National Judicial College and the Michigan Judicial Institute.
Donofrio has served on the Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions and on the Michigan Supreme Court Task Force on Trial Court Performance Standards.
• Judge Deborah A. Servitto, who has 27 years’ experience as a judge.
She was elected to Warren’s 37th District Court in 1986 and appointed to the Macomb County Circuit Court in 1990 by Gov. James Blanchard.
Servitto was elected three times to the circuit court.
While on that bench, Servitto helped launch a drug court and a program aimed at helping children cope with their parents’ divorce.
Gov. Granholm appointed Servitto to the Court of Appeals in March 2006.
She was elected to the appeals court in November 2006 and re-elected in 2012.
Servitto is a graduate of Oakland University and the Detroit College of Law. She is a founding director of Care House, which serves young victims of sexual and physical abuse.
• Judge Amy Ronayne Krause, who was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2010 by Gov. Granholm.
Krause previously served as a judge of the 54-A District Court in Lansing.
Before becoming a judge, Krause was in private practice as a litigator; she then served for eight years as an assistant prosecuting attorney.
From 1997-2002, she served as an assistant attorney general and was the first recipient of the Frank J. Kelley Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy.
An adjunct professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Krause earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame.
• Judge Michael J. Talbot, who will serve as the chief, or presiding, judge of the Court of Claims,
Talbot was a trial judge for 20 years, starting with his 1978 appointment to Detroit Common Pleas Court by Gov. William Milliken. Talbot also served on Detroit Recorder’s Court from 1980 until his appointment to
the Wayne County Circuit Court in 1991.
He was appointed by Gov. Engler to the Court of Appeals in 1998, was elected to that bench in 2002 and re-elected in 2008.
Talbot helped draft Michigan’s Crime Victim’s Rights Act and was a member of the Judicial Tenure Commission from 2004 to 2010.
He is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he earned a degree in public administration, and of the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law.
He currently serves as special judicial administrator of Detroit’s 36th District Court.
In 2015, he will begin serving as chief judge of the court of appeals.
Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday signed into law a bill that locates the Court of Claims in the Court of Appeals.
The Court of Claims hears lawsuits against the state of Michigan.
“As a practical matter,” Snyder said, “Court of Claims issues affect all of Michigan, so it only makes sense that judges from across all of Michigan hear and decide those cases.”
He said the legislation will “broaden the base of judges who are making these decisions."
Talbot said that he and the other judges will work swiftly to implement the legislation, which takes immediate effect.
Cases to be heard by the Court of Claims involve claims for money damages against the state as well as claims for equitable and declaratory relief against the state.
The claims ultimately must be paid by the taxpayers. However since 1979, Court of Claims cases have been heard by judges serving on 30th Circuit Court, elected by Ingham County voters, who represent three
percent of Michigan's population.
Under the new law, new cases may be filed in any Court of Appeals district, which includes Detroit, Troy, Grand Rapids and Lansing, and proceedings may take place where the judge sits.
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