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Governor likely to sign bill authorizing Marquette County Circuit Court judgeship

LANSING, MI--   Legislation to restore a second circuit court judgeship to Marquette County is headed to Governor Whitmer’s desk.

The county is currently served by only one after a second position was eliminated in 2017.

Marquette County court cases make up approximately 25 percent of the annual U.P. court caseload. The average annual number of felony cases alone in the county has more than doubled over the last decade, largely due to an increase in meth abuse.

The House bill was introduced by Representative Sara Cambensy and the Senate bill by Senator Ed McBroom.

Due to the lapse in time when Marquette County lost a circuit court position with the retirement of Judge Thomas Solka in 2017, the reinstatement is considered a new judgeship and will be subject to the election process rather than be appointed by the governor. Once the legislation is signed into law, the Marquette County Board of Commissioners will determine when the election for the new judgeship will be held. 

Nicole was born near Detroit but has lived in the U.P. most of her life. She graduated from Marquette Senior High School and attended Michigan State and Northern Michigan Universities, graduating from NMU in 1993 with a degree in English.