Magistrate Abel Torres Announces for 74th District Court Judgeship
Candidate Promises Not to Charge Taxpayers for Judicial-Related Travel
March 28, 2010
By: Dave Rogers
Abel Torres, declares candidacy for Bay County 74th District Court post.
A candidate for district judge who says he's ready to take the bench immediately and won't charge for travel for judicial conferences has announced for a pending opening in Bay County's 74th District Court.
Abel Torres, who has been serving as Juvenile Court Referee and 74th District Court Magistrate is seeking the nonpartisan judgeship being vacated by District Judge Scott Newcombe.
Mr. Torres said in a news release that he has collected more than 1,200 signatures on his nominating petitions in 19 days and has filed the required 900 signatures with the Secretary of State to qualify for the August Primary Election ballot.
Mr. Torres, 64, grew up in Portsmouth Township, was graduated from Bay City Central High, Delta College and Michigan State University. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School.
He was appointed Juvenile Court Referee by Probate Judge Karen Tighe in 1995 and completed training as a District Court Magistrate in 2006.
"I am the only candidate that has judicial decision-making experience and I've conducted thousands of hearings in the juvenile and district courts as a magistrate," he said.
Mr. Torres was an intern in the office of Hon. Horace W. Gilmore, U.S. District Judge, in Detroit, was a law clerk in the office of Circuit Judge William Caprathe 1983-84 and served as assistant prosecuting attorney with Prosecutor George Mullison, 1985-87 and 1990-91. He also served as staff attorney for UAW-GM Legal Services 1987-88 and was Bay County corporation counsel 1991-94.
Mr. Torres said he wants to establish a Truancy Court to deal with parents who are in violation of Michigan law by not sending their children to school and is a proponent of the Drug Treatment Court.
"I will continue to enforce the Michigan Crime Victims' Rights Act, especially a crime victim's constitutional and statutory rights to restitution for their loss," he said.