Robert P. Young, Jr., is state supreme court's new chief justice

Budget, administrative issues to head list of priorities, Michigan's new chief justice vows LANSING, MI--Robert P. Young, Jr., is the new chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, the Court announced today. Justices of the Court elect a chief justice at the beginning of every odd-numbered year. Young said his highest priorities will be budgetary and administrative issues. "The question is how we maintain essential services to the public despite the dire fiscal circumstances threatening state and local governments," Young said. "As chief justice, I intend to ensure that the public funds devoted to the judiciary are wisely spent to provide and improve the judicial services our constitution mandates that our citizens receive." But, Young said, "Budget cutting alone will not be enough. Frankly, we simply have to reduce the number of judgeships where the workload no longer justifies their continuation. We also have to more aggressively employ court consolidation for greater efficiency. We need to build on our recent successes and continue to extend technology to improve the functioning and the structure of the Michigan court system. There is room for meaningful change and improvement in the third branch of government, even as we do our part to address the state's budget crisis." A native of Detroit, Young earned undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard. He began his legal career in 1978 with the law firm of Dickinson, Wright, Moon, Van Dusen, & Freeman, becoming a partner in the firm in 1982. In 1992, he joined AAA Michigan, serving as its vice-president, corporate secretary, and general counsel. He was appointed by Governor John Engler to the Michigan Court of Appeals in 1995 and was elected to that court in 1996. Appointed by Engler to the Supreme Court in 1999, Young was elected to the Court in 2002 and re-elected in 2010. Young, who has served as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School for a number of years, is the author of "Active Liberty and the Problem of Judicial Oligarchy," in The Supreme Court and the Idea of Constitutionalism (Kautz, Melzer, Weinberger & Zinman, Eds., University of Pennsylvania Press 2009). He is a co-editor of Michigan Civil Procedure During Trial, 2d Ed. (Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 1989) and Michigan Civil Procedure (Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 1999). He was awarded honorary degrees from Michigan State University and Central Michigan University. Young has served on the boards of many charitable business and civic organizations, including United Community Services of Metropolitan Detroit and Vista Maria, a resource center for disadvantaged young women and girls. He has also served as a trustee of the Detroit Institute of Children, The Detroit Historical Society, and the Governor's Task Force on Children's Justice Concerning Child Abuse and Neglect. A former commissioner of the Michigan Civil Service Commission, Young was a trustee of Central Michigan University, University Liggett School, and the Grosse Pointe Academy. He is a former chair of the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce "Leadership Detroit" program. Published: Thu, Jan 13, 2011

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