JULIE LACOST

IRON MOUNTAIN — Longtime local attorney Julie LaCost, appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder earlier this year to the Dickinson-Iron County District Court bench, will seek to retain the 95-B District Court post in this fall’s election.

LaCost was installed in February as the county’s first female district court judge after 30 years as a practicing attorney in Michigan, Wisconsin and California. The Iron Mountain native cites her deep ties to the area, robust legal experience and concern for local issues such as substance abuse as among her qualifications to serve as “the people’s judge.”

“After reviewing applications from six attorneys seeking to be appointed, Gov. Snyder selected me to serve the citizens of this community as district court judge,” LaCost said. “I seek to retain the judgeship because my extensive knowledge of the law, longtime experience with the legal concerns of the community and valuable experience I have gained on the bench make me the more qualified candidate.”

Vast experience

The range of cases LaCost handled for area residents as an attorney is reflected in the matters that come before a district court judge, from traffic infractions to civil claims to landlord-tenant issues and criminal cases.

“Having represented thousands of clients in such matters over the past three decades, I am well-versed in the law that applies to the wide variety of cases that come before the district court. I was able to hit the ground running in February and serve the community effectively from my first day on the job,” LaCost said.

“The depth of my legal background is a distinct advantage on the bench and allows me to consider each case fairly and objectively,” she added. “I refer to myself as ‘the people’s judge’ because the district court handles the matters that are most likely to bring an average citizen in contact with the justice system. I am committed to treating all who appear in my courtroom with dignity and respect, while maintaining the rule of law and the integrity of the legal process.”

A problem-solver

LaCost notes she is a problem-solver who will strive to implement innovative and collaborative approaches to the most serious problems afflicting the community.

“People have asked me how being a judge is different from being an attorney,” she said. “What has really impacted me since taking the bench is the gravity of the substance abuse problems in our community and the co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems. As a parent and a community member, I am concerned with public safety and that social problems such as substance abuse and mental illness be addressed with the most up-to-date, effective approaches at our disposal.”

Despite federal spending of more than $70 billion each year on opioid-related issues, LaCost said, statistics show drug overdoses kill 175 people each day and penal institutions are bulging with the mentally ill and those with co-occurring substance abuse addictions. Compared with the general U.S. population, the mentally ill are over-represented in the nation’s jails and a small percentage of those are receiving treatment while in jail.

“Our mental health system is in a severe state of disrepair,” she said. “Those mentally ill who are sent to State Forensic Centers can wait many months to be evaluated, languishing in custody, because there is no bed space available to treat them. Also, civil beds are being filled to capacity with the criminally mentally ill because there is no space for them in the criminal justice system.”

Courts and other agencies are finding that a team approach among the criminal justice system, the mental health system and other providers increases access to treatments which have been shown to decrease the number of re-offenders.

Individuals in these programs are strictly supervised, cases closely monitored, and outcomes nationwide are encouraging. Typically, funding for these court programs comes from federal grants, but lawsuits have just started to emerge seeking reimbursement from pharmaceutical companies that produced opioid drugs despite knowing the addictive qualities for county expenses related to opioid addiction which may provide funds to combat these issues.

Committed to innovation

About 250 cases are filed each month in district court, and LaCost hears about 60 cases each week in her courtroom.

Other innovative programs LaCost plans to investigate include establishing a mental health court to closely monitor the mentally ill who are involved with the 95-B District Court, as well as to expand the Sobriety Court and Veterans’ Court programs already in place.

“I pledge that, if elected, you have my unwavering commitment to the faithful and impartial performance of the duties of this office,” LaCost said.

About Judge LaCost

LaCost was born and raised in Iron Mountain. After graduating from Iron Mountain High School, she attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in French language and literature before obtaining her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

LaCost formerly was a deputy public defender for San Diego County before returning home and establishing a successful law practice in this community. She has served on the boards of the Dickinson Area Community Foundation, Zonta Club of Iron Mountain-Kingsford, the Dickinson Area Partnership, Pine Grove Country Club, United Way, Boy Scouts, and is a member of the 100-Plus Women Who Care. Judge LaCost has been an active in many roles at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Iron Mountain.