Michigan Court Reduces Costs and Improves Juror Processes
December 11, 2025 by Dana Rasmussen
When a circuit court in Michigan wanted to modernize processes behind qualifying jurors, it also discovered a way to reduce costs, eliminate redundancies, and make court processes easier on the public.
According to Macomb County circuit court clerk Anthony Forlini, the court was incurring significant expenses sending 20,000 qualification questionnaires to potential jurors per year.
Forlini said he knew he could improve the outdated process, so he turned to his Enterprise Jury Manager solution from Tyler Technologies.
“Imagine what it’s like to manage 20,000 mailers for jury questionnaires,” Forlini said. “They’d come back through the mail, some were taped all around the corners, and staff had to work to undo all the envelopes. And many people never even return them because you have to use a postage stamp.”
Forlini said the untenable process needed modernization not only to eliminate additional expenses and reduce redundancy between the circuit and district courts, but to make the public’s interaction with the courts better as well.
“We knew there was a different way and Tyler was great in providing solutions, which allows us to better serve the 850,000 residents of this county.”
Now, the Macomb County Circuit Court provides the public with a way to return questionnaires digitally, saving on postage expenses and reducing processing time.
“It’s been a huge change,” Forlini said. “The process only takes a couple of weeks versus months. What was once done by hand is now done electronically and it has removed unnecessary human involvement.’
‘Not only are my employees happier serving the public, but they’re also providing a higher level of service. Plus, our postage costs were reduced by 46% — even with increases in the costs of stamps. This innovation helps us save the public money.”
Digital Gains for Courts and the Community
While the change in how juror questionnaires are processed is felt by the Macomb County Circuit Court staff, the public are also experiencing the differences.
“With the digitized processes, we’re able to provide more accurate reporting to the state and minimize the impact on the public because they’re able to record their answers faster and from any location,” Forlini said. “They’re no longer incurring expenses or spending time completing and returning a hard copy.”
In fact, Macomb County juror candidates now use online jury management tools access to information about their services with the court. This has resulted in:
- A 50% reduction in number of questionnaires mailed in by residents
- Improved qualification of jurors
- Convenient and easy-to-use online access for all residents
- Enhanced civic interaction and public trust
According to Forlini, the Macomb County Circuit Court works to ensure the public has great service, so they know what to expect from the moment they receive a jury summons to when they begin the jury process at the courthouse.
“Through the use of videos and training, we help the public get a nice idea of what their day is going to look like,” Forlini said. “All of our employees know that it is our job to make the public feel better about what they’re coming to court to do, and we want to take away the mystery and the anxiety, so they feel comfortable. So, we go out of our way to make them feel good and the Tyler software helps us do that.”