Pat Donofrio
Pat M. Donofrio was a judge on the Michigan Second District Court of Appeals. He was appointed to this position in 2002 and elected in 2004.[1] He was re-elected to the court on November 2, 2010].[2] Donofrio retired on September 30, 2015.[3]
On November 13, 2013, Donofrio was appointed by the state supreme court to serve on the newly-created Michigan Court of Claims. This role was in addition to his appellate court duties. His term on the court of claims ended May 1, 2015.[4]
Education
Donofrio graduated from Wayne State University in 1967 with a B.S. He then earned his J.D. from the Wayne State University School of Law in 1970.[1]
Career
After law school, Donofrio immediately went into private practice, and in 1974, was a founding member of the law firm of Romain, Donofrio, Kuck & Egerer, P.C. (now Romain, Kuck & Egerer, P.C.). He was serving as that firm's president at the time he was appointed to the judiciary.
Donofrio served as a Macomb County Circuit Court judge (16th Circuit Court) following his appointment in 1997 and election in 1998. From 1998 until he joined the court of appeals in 2002, he was the presiding judge of the civil/criminal division of the circuit court. In 2013, he was appointed to the Michigan Court of Claims for a two-year term.[1]
Awards and associations
- Certificates of accomplishment, National Judicial College and the National Drug Court Institute.
- Michigan Judges Association
- American Judges Association
- Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions
- State Bar of Michigan
- Macomb County Bar Association
- Oakland County Bar Association
- American Inns of Court (secretary, Oakland Division)
- Chairman, Court of Appeals settlement committee
- Former faculty member, Institute for Continuing Legal Education, National Judicial College, Michigan Judicial Institute
- Michigan Supreme Court Task Force on Trial Court Performance Standards[1]
2010 election
Judge Donofrio ran unopposed and was re-elected to the court of appeals on November 2, 2010.[5]
- See also: Michigan judicial elections, 2010
Noteworthy events
RMGN proposal targeted Donofrio, other appellate judges
The "Reform Michigan Government Now" (RMGN) proposal put forward by Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer would have reduced the Michigan Court of Appeals from 28 to 21 judges, based on term expiration dates, which would have shifted the court's political power from the Republicans to the Democrats. However, the proposal failed. Had it passed, the court's political makeup would have changed from 16 Republican judges and 12 Democratic judges to 10 Republican judges and 11 Democratic judges—eliminating six Republican judges and one Democratic judge. The judges targeted by the RMGN proposal were Donofrio, Joel Hoekstra, Donald Owens, David Sawyer, William Whitbeck, Kurtis Wilder and Helene White. White was the only Democrat affected by the suggested removals.[6]
See also
External links
- Michigan Courts, "Michigan Court of Appeals Second District Judges"
- MLive, "Putnam taking land battle to state Supreme Court," September 9, 2008
- Macomb Daily, "Former teacher's porn case delayed again," April 16, 2008
- Michiganoidv, "Sex trial of Deputy Kevin Chittick, Lapeer County Sheriff Department, continues," January 15, 2004
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Michigan Courts, "Michigan Court of Appeals Second District Judges," accessed May 5, 2015
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2010 Unofficial General Election Results: Court of Appeals," March 2, 2011
- ↑ Macomb Daily, "Appeals Judge Donofrio to retire in September," June 12, 2015
- ↑ Michigan Courts, "Order: Assignment of Judges to the Court of Claims," November 13, 2013
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2010 candidate list," October 21, 2010
- ↑ MLive.com, "Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer outlines heavily-debated state reform plan in Flint speech," August 13, 2008
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan
State courts:
Michigan Supreme Court • Michigan Court of Appeals • Michigan Circuit Court • Michigan Court of Claims • Michigan District Courts • Michigan Municipal Courts • Michigan Probate Courts
State resources:
Courts in Michigan • Michigan judicial elections • Judicial selection in Michigan
