Michigan Justices Issue Scaled-Back Judicial Anti-Bias Rule (1)

The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday tweaked a conduct rule barring judges from exhibiting bias or harassing those in their courtrooms, but didn’t go as far as a proposal from earlier this year.

The rule previously said a judge “should” treat everyone fairly and respectfully, “without regard to a person’s race, gender, or other protected personal characteristic.” The new one, which goes into effect Jan. 1, says a judge must perform their duties “without bias or prejudice.” It changes “should” to “shall,” and says they “shall not intentionally or recklessly, in the performance of judicial duties, manifest bias or prejudice, ...