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Drug Cases Gridlock Michigan Appeals Court, Chief Justice Says

IN THE COURTS

February 1993

In a plea for additional funding for 15 new judges, Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Cavanagh said a huge and burgeoning backlog of appeals fueled by drug cases and mandatory minimums is creating gridlock in the state Court of Appeals (Chris Andrews, "Chief Justice Warns Court Crisis Rising: Cavanagh Wants More Judges," Lansing State Journal, 1/7/93, 1B).

There is currently a state appeals court backlog of more than 4,000 cases, the Lansing State Journal reported. Chief Justice Cavanagh, while calling for the 15 new judges, said he would support a moratorium on any new provisions mandating minimum prison sentences. Cavanagh said that the war on drugs has clogged the appeals court while doing little to deter drug dealers.