LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – State Rep. Graham Filler (R-Clinton County) had issued a statement on Tuesday regarding House Bill 5131, which creates a new Court of Appeals district and packs the courts with six new judgeships.

Rep. Filler had said, “House Democrats are shamelessly scheming to pack the Michigan Court of Appeals with six new judges. They’re fast-tracking this bill through the Legislature with no scrutiny and no regard for the public’s right to input. This is wrong.”

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He went on to say, “There is absolutely no need for additional Court of Appeals judges in Michigan. The number of case filings has not increased, and our current Court of Appeals judges are more than capable of handling the existing caseload with efficiency and fairness. Adding six new judges is a clear case of court-packing. These judges are disproportionately allocated to key Democrat strongholds, clearly making this move nothing more than a craven political maneuver. Manipulating judgeships like this undermines the fundamental principle that our justice system should be blind to political affiliations and free from partisan influence. This is nothing but partisan influence.”

Rep. Filler continued, “The lack of transparency and public involvement in this process is deeply troubling. The House has two committees dedicated to addressing issues related to the courts and the criminal justice system, yet this bill is being quietly and quickly rerouted through a different committee with no experience working on these issues and no opportunity for public scrutiny. This raises serious questions about the majority party’s intentions and its need to avoid public oversight and accountability. Such a significant overhaul of the court’s structure demands careful consideration and open debate, not a politically motivated plan crafted behind closed doors and rushed through the Legislature.”

Two days later, after the Democrats’ plans were exposed and criticism mounted, they backed off their plans to rush the bill through the House Government Operations Committee. Rep. Filler said in a new statement, “House Democrats made a misstep when they tried to rush House Bill 5131 through the Government Operations Committee this week. It’s clear their initial approach was a mistake and that I wasn’t the only one who had serious concerns about this proposal. I appreciate their willingness to slow down and step back, and I hope it means we can have a bipartisan conversation about this bill moving forward.”

Rep. Filler continued, “Past efforts to address the staffing levels in our court system have always been bipartisan and data-driven, with plenty of input from the State Court Administrative Office to ensure the best access to justice. So far, none of that is true about House Bill 5131. That’s bad for our state. Promoting partisan influence over the judicial system is wrong, and people recognize that…I hope the decision to take this bill off Wednesday’s agenda signifies a commitment to a more open and deliberative process moving forward. It is essential to ensure that any adjustments to our court system are made with the best interests of the public and the integrity of our justice system in mind.”

State Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Hillsdale) also released the following statement about the situation, “I’m pleased to see Democrats have come to their senses and pulled this bill off the committee docket….Leadership within the bill sponsor’s own caucus must be realizing that this plan was a mistake and now they’re backing off – a move that’s better for all of Michigan. Now we can get back to the real issues facing our justice system, like the shortage of assistant prosecutors, which has led to a backlog of trials and hearings across the state.”

State Rep. Tom Kuhn (R-Troy) released a statement as well saying, “House Democrats today listened to public outcry and removed House Bill 5131 from committee consideration. The bill would have disproportionately packed the Michigan Court of Appeals with six new judges in key Democrat strongholds. No one asked for this, caseloads have not increased, and there was little time for public input. Partisans attempted to slip this through the cracks while no one was looking. Luckily the public recognized this as a politically motivated court-packing scheme. The outcry over this attempt to play partisan politics with the judicial system rightly left this bill dead on arrival. With things going south quickly, I’m glad to see Democrats yield and end this blatant attempt to pack the courts.”