Christopher P. Yates | |
---|---|
Judge, Michigan Court of Appeals 3rd District (appointed in 2022 and elected later in 2022) | |
Assuming office 2022 | |
Appointed by | Governor Gretchen Whitmer |
Succeeding | Jane Beckering |
Judge,Court of Claims (appointed by Michigan Supreme Court January 2024) | |
Judge,Kent County Michigan Circuit Court,17th Circuit Court (appointed in 2008,and subsequently elected) | |
In office 2008–2022 | |
Appointed by | Governor Jennifer Granholm |
Personal details | |
Education | Kalamazoo College (B.A.,1983) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (M.B.A.,1987) University of Illinois College of Law (J.D.,1987) |
Christopher Paul Yates is an American judge in the state of Michigan. He has served as both a trial level and appellate judge. He was one of Michigan's first business court judges,serving in that role for ten years,and later developing a national presence and influence as a business court judge. Most recently,he was assigned to the specialized Michigan Court of Claims,to deal with litigation involving governmental entities. He served in two prestigious judicial clerkships,has held positions of significance outside of his judgeships,and has received numerous awards as a judge.
Yates received a Bachelor of Arts from Kalamazoo College in 1983. In 1987,he earned a Master of Business Administration from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law. [1]
In 2008,Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm appointed Yates as a trial level circuit court judge in the 17th Circuit Court,located in Kent County,Michigan. [2] He was subsequently elected as a judge to the Kent County circuit court. [3] [4] As a trial judge,he has presided over civil,criminal,and family law cases. [5] [6]
On March 1,2012,Yates was the first judge assigned to manage a specialized business court docket pilot project in the Kent County Circuit Court,one of three Michigan county circuit courts designated in 2011 to operate pilot project business courts. [5] [7] [8] As of January 1,2013,the pilot projects were replaced by a permanent statute-based set of business court dockets in Michigan circuit courts with three or more judges,with Yates contributing to that business court legislation. Yates continued to serve on the Kent County business court docket until early 2022. [9] [1] [10] [11] He authored well over 300 legal opinions as a business court judge. [12]
Yates also has a national presence as a business court judge. In 2024,he began serving a term as president of the American College of Business Court Judges. [13] He is a past co-chair of the American Bar Association's Judges Initiative Committee, [14] and a Business Court Representative to the American Bar Association's Business Law Section. [15] In addition to his hundreds of opinions as a business court judge,he has written on the subject of business courts nationally,as well as in Michigan. [16] [17] [5]
In 2022,Yates was appointed by Governor Gretchin Whitmer to Michigan's 3rd District Court of Appeals,to replace Judge Jane Beckering. [6] [1] Yates successfully ran for election as a 3rd District appellate judge later that year. [18] He is running for that position again in 2024. [19] [20] Yates has stated his philosophy as an appellate judge to be one of judicial modesty. [21]
In 2013,Michigan's Legislature "created the Court of Claims to resolve major claims against the State of Michigan and its various agencies and personnel." Under that law,Michigan's Supreme Court assigns Michigan court of appeals judges to serve on the Court of Claims. "The judges assigned to the Court of Claims have extensive trial-court experience and bring rich insights and practical skills to trial-case management." [22] It functions as a trial level court,though its cases are filed in the court of appeals. [23]
As of January 15,2024,Yates was assigned by Michigan's Supreme Court to sit as a judge on the Court of Claims for a period covering the remainder of his term as a court of appeals judge,ending on May 1,2025. [24]
Yates served as a judicial law clerk to Chief Judge James P. Churchill of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and to Judge Ralph B. Guy Jr.,of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. [1]
As a lawyer,Yates was hired by Stephen J. Markman (later a Michigan Supreme Court justice) to work as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Michigan,located in Detroit,Michigan;was an attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel at the United States Department of Justice in Washington,D.C.;was a Federal public defender for the Western District of Michigan from 1997 to March 2004 (eventually becoming chief of that office);and as a private attorney,he was a partner in two law firm s in Grand Rapids,Michigan. [1] [2] [11] [25]
In 2022,Yates received the Judicial Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Board of Trial Advocates. It is awarded to judges "who have given many years of judicial service. Through their Decisions,they have exemplified the level of professionalism and integrity that uphold the best traditions of the bench." [1] [26]
In 2020,Yates received the Judicial Award from the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel. The award "was established to recognize judges who have demonstrated the highest standards of judicial excellence in the pursuit of justice,while exemplifying courtesy,integrity,wisdom,and impartiality. It is awarded to judges who best exemplify that which brings honor,esteem,and respect to the practice of law." [27]
In 2019,he received the Hilda Gage Judicial Excellence Award from the Michigan Judges Association. This award "recognizes a sitting or retired circuit or court of appeals judge that has demonstrated competence in docket and trial management,and who has made contributions to the legal profession through legal scholarship and community service." [1] [28]
Yates is a four-time inductee into the Kalamazoo College Athletic Hall of Fame as a tennis player. [1] [29]
In 2024,Yates began serving as president of the American College of Business Court Judges. [13]
He is the 2024 chair of State Bar of Michigan's Business Law Section. [9] [30]
He was 2022 president of the Michigan Judges Association. [31] [1]
He is a past co-chair of the American Bar Association's Judges Initiative Committee. [14]
He was president of the Grand Rapids Bar Association. [1]
He is a member of the Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions. [1]
Yates is an author,co-author,or editor of the following publications,among others:
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction,although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil jurisdiction,with most criminal matters handled in County Court.
Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler was an American attorney and judge who served as the first United States Secretary of Education from 1979 to 1981. She previously served as a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1968 to 1979.
The government of Maryland is conducted according to the Maryland Constitution. The United States is a federation;consequently,the government of Maryland,like the other 49 state governments,has exclusive authority over matters that lie entirely within the state's borders,except as limited by the Constitution of the United States.
James Andrew Wynn Jr. is an American jurist. He serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and formerly served on both the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of the Illinois Institute of Technology,a private research university in Chicago,Illinois. It is the second oldest law school in the state of Illinois.
The Florida circuit courts are state courts and trial courts of original jurisdiction for most controversies. In Florida,the circuit courts are one of four types of courts created by the Florida Constitution.
The Judiciary of New York is the judicial branch of the Government of New York,comprising all the courts of the State of New York.
Jack Anthony Panella is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as a judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. He previously served as the President Judge up until January 6,2024. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to his election to the Superior Court,he was a Judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County,Pennsylvania.
Courts of Michigan include:
Albert Diaz is an American lawyer who is the chief circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Diaz is the first Hispanic judge to serve on the Fourth Circuit. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals,Diaz was a North Carolina state superior court judge and an appellate judge for the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals.
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is the law school of the University of Detroit Mercy and is located in Downtown Detroit,Michigan across from the Renaissance Center. Founded in 1912,Detroit Mercy Law is a private Roman Catholic law school and has been ABA-accredited since 1933. The Law School has an annual enrollment of 612 students including 223 Nonresident Aliens,and currently has 67 faculty members.
The Superior Court is North Carolina's general jurisdiction trial court. It was established in 1777 and is North Carolina's oldest court.
Business Courts,sometimes referred to as Commercial Courts,are trial courts that primarily or exclusively adjudicate internal business disputes and/or commercial litigation between businesses,heard before specialist judges assigned to these courts. Commercial Courts outside the United States may have broader or narrower jurisdiction than state trial level business and commercial courts within the United States,for example patent or admiralty jurisdiction;and jurisdiction may vary between countries.
The Judiciary of California or the Judicial Branch of California is defined under the California Constitution as holding the judicial power of the state of California which is vested in the Supreme Court,the Courts of Appeal and the Superior Courts. The judiciary has a hierarchical structure with the California Supreme Court at the top,California Courts of Appeal as the primary appellate courts,and the California Superior Courts as the primary trial courts.
The Florida State Courts System is the unified state court system of Florida.
The judiciary of Illinois is the unified court system of Illinois primarily responsible for applying the Constitution and law of Illinois. It consists of the Supreme Court,the Appellate Court,and circuit courts. The Supreme Court oversees the administration of the court system.
The judiciary of Michigan is defined under the Michigan Constitution,law,and regulations as part of the Government of Michigan. The court system consists of the Michigan Supreme Court,the Michigan Court of Appeals as the intermediate appellate court,the circuit courts and district courts as the two primary trial courts,and several administrative courts and specialized courts. The Supreme Court administers all the courts. The Michigan Supreme Court consists of seven members who are elected on non-partisan ballots for staggered eight-year terms,while state appellate court judges are elected to terms of six years and vacancies are filled by an appointment by the governor,and circuit court and district court judges are elected to terms of six years.
Lawrence James Christopher VanDyke is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is a former solicitor general of Nevada and Montana.
Circuit courts are the trial courts with the broadest powers in Michigan. In Michigan,circuit courts handle all felony criminal cases that could result in confinement to prison. They also deal with all civil cases for claims in excess of $25,000.00. There are 57 circuit courts in the state of Michigan. Judges are elected for six-year terms. In Michigan,circuit courts are divided into two divisions:general division and family division.
Albert J. Matricciani,Jr. was a United States judge in the state of Maryland,both at the trial and appellate levels of Maryland's state court system. As a trial level judge,Matricianni was in charge of the Baltimore Circuit Court's Family Law Division for five years,and was later instrumental in creating the statewide Business and Technology Case Management Program. He was President of the Baltimore City Bar Association,and served in leadership in numerous entities and organizations of a legal or charitable nature.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)