Judge Jennifer Mazzuchi, center, is shown presiding over the 25th Circuit Court in the Marquette County Courthouse. State Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette, and Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, introduced legislation in the Senate and House of Representatives Wednesday to restore a second judge seat to the 25th Circuit Court due to an increasing caseload. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — Legislation to restore a second judge to the 25th Circuit Court in Marquette County was introduced Wednesday in the state Senate and House of Representatives by state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, and state Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette, respectively.

The proposed legislation comes after the Marquette County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution in February reaffirming its support of reinstating a second 25th Circuit Court judge position. The board cited an increasing felony caseload since the second circuit court judge position was lost in 2016 due to legislation passed in 2011.

“By creating a new judgeship in Marquette County that can put our veterans first and also serve as a mental health court, we can streamline the enormous workload our largest (Upper Peninsula) county court has faced since losing a judge a few years back,” Cambensy, who introduced House Bill 4656, said in a news release.

Judge Jennifer Mazzuchi is currently the sole circuit court judge serving Marquette County.

“We appreciate the support of Sen. McBroom and Rep. Cambensy in our effort to restore this position,” Mazzuchi said in the release. “At the time of the 2011 legislation that eliminated the position, the average annual number of felony cases in the county was 224. This number has increased steadily in recent years, and in 2020, we had 471 new felony filings, an increase of more than 100%.”

A circuit court judge has a variety of cases to oversee, meaning felony criminal cases aren’t the only matters that fall under Mazzuchi’s purview. Circuit court judges also handle divorce, paternity, family support, custody and parenting time disputes; lawsuits over $25,000; personal protection orders; all matters involving equitable relief, including injunctions and original writs; and appeals from the district court and administrative agencies.

“Downstate, a lot of judges have assistance and paralegals, and up here Judge Mazzuchi does not have either of those. So we could really use another judge,” Marquette County Commissioner Bill Nordeen said in a phone interview Thursday. “They also have smaller counties downstate, so our territory is much bigger and we have a lot more going on.”

With the felony cases drastically on the rise, the complexity of the cases also require more time and manpower, officials said.

“It is past time that the busiest court in the Upper Peninsula have more than one judge to oversee the increasing number of legal cases in the county,” Mc-Broom said in the news release, citing strong support for the proposed legislation from the local legal community.

Katie Segula can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is ksegula@miningjournal.net.