Michigan’s judiciary is reviewing a pivotal proposal aimed at updating its financial disclosure rules. Under the new guidelines, judges would have to disclose certain categories of investments previously exempt from scrutiny. For the first time, this move attempts to bring a higher degree of transparency to the financial dealings of the state’s judiciary, aligning it more closely with existing legislative and executive branch disclosure requirements.
The proposal, however, stops short of requiring the disclosure of certain high-value gifts and sources of income. For instance, payments like those received by former state Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Markman for Federalist Society events, amounting to $1,000 per engagement between 2013 and 2020, would no longer be reportable. Similarly, honorary memberships such as the $300 membership to the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor awarded to former Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack in 2015 are also omitted from these requirements.
While the initiative has garnered praise for its attempt to increase transparency, it has also faced criticism for what some see as overly lenient thresholds that leave significant financial interests undisclosed. As the proposal currently stands, it aims to balance the need for transparency with concerns about administrative burdens and privacy.
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