Over the years, we have observed Fox 2 Detroit's "ambush journalism" in the context of the judiciary. Who could forget the piece that ended former Judge Dennis Powers' career as a district court judge in Novi; or their -unsuccessful- attempt to put egg on Judge Rae Lee Chabot's robes.

The idea is to get some choice undercover footage of the judge or justice outside the courtroom, preferably out-of-doors, at home, or at a restaurant. Then, when they least suspect it, stuff a microphone in their face as they are walking toward their car and ask them why they are not in court.

This time, Fox 2 set their sights on the Michigan Supreme Court and Justice Brian Zahra. The ambush occurred outside his parents' home, apparently in the middle of a Tuesday morning; the allegation is that Justice Zahra only goes into his office once a week.

This story raises the issue of whether a Supreme Court justice is required to maintain regular office hours between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. To address this issue, you have to know something about what a High Court justice does.

Unlike other Michigan courts, the Supreme Court controls its docket by selecting -through a vote of the 7 justices- which cases it will decide. On average, there are about 3000 cases filed with the High Court each year.

The job entails reading an endless supply of briefs written by the best lawyers in Michigan and other states; the job entails staying abreast of the developments in the law; reading lower court opinions; reading statutes; thinking about how those laws apply to a particular set of facts; and, in their assigned cases, writing the opinion that will become binding law on all the lower courts in Michigan.

These days, all appellate briefs -along with the attachments known as an appendix- are required to be uploaded to the court website. As Justice Zahra said in his interview, he has his entire docket and office on a thumb drive.

No one would seriously argue that reading submissions in electronic format requires someone to be sitting at a desk in an office between the hours of 9 and 5. In fact, an argument could be made that a traditional office setting is a place of distraction when it comes to reading, thinking and writing about the law.

Oftentimes, when this blogger has an appellate brief due, I avoid the office for the peace and quiet of my private study in my home. To have a stream of staff walk in and out of my office when trying to complete a brief on deadline is stressful and counterproductive.

My first job out of law school in 1988 was a law clerk position at the Michigan Court of Appeals. In the pre-hearing division, we were assigned an office with a complete set of Michigan reports and statutes; actual books on the shelves; no computers. Our reports to the judges were written-out long-hand on legal pads and then given to secretaries in a typing pool.

Today, an entire law library, along with all the files in my law practice, fit in my laptop computer with instant access. With smart phones, the expectation is that legal professionals are available 24/7.

So who knows whether Justice Zahra works on weekends, late into the night, or early in the morning in order to complete his opinions in the cases assigned to him by the Chief. Does this really matter so long as his output, as one of seven justices on the High Court, is getting done on time?

We are told by the Chief Justice, Robert Young, that his work is timely and exemplary. He gets high marks from his colleagues on the bench; those in the best position to know whether Justice Zahra is doing his job.

Also, a supreme court justice is different than a trial judge that must be present in her courtroom everyday in order to address her docket through hearings, trials and conferences. When trial court judges run late or are absent, the docket starts to back-up, and expensive legal professionals end-up standing around a judicially empty courtroom.

That's a problem for the trial courts. On appeal, not so much.

Post #537

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