#Michigan #judges must use parties' #PreferredPronouns or 'respectful' titles
MI judges & #court staff will be required to address #attorneys & #parties by their preferred #pronouns, names or by “other #respectful means” under a #rule the #MichiganSupremeCourt adopted Wednesday.
The #rule allows #attorneys & parties to list their “preferred salutations & personal #pronouns” on #court #records, which will create the guide for #judges & #staff handling the case for how to address those individuals.
The rule, which was debated at length in June, would take effect on Jan 1, making #Michigan the first state court to explicitly include requirements related to #PreferredPronouns.
“… A primary goal of this change is to ensure that the #judiciary operates in a manner that is #objectively #respectful of the individual #identity & personal #pronouns of the members of the #public that we #serve, regardless of the #subjective #viewpoints of individuals working within the #court system,” #Justice Elizabeth Welch wrote in a concurring statement.
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