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December 24, 2005Weaver's resignation turnaroundTRAVERSE CITY - What a year it's been for Elizabeth Weaver.In August, Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans - the Michigan Supreme Court justice's hometown. In October, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. In January, she announced she would leave the state's top court five years before her term expires. In June, she took it back. Weaver is still uncertain how long she'll remain on the court. The Glen Arbor Republican is in regular contact with friends and family from the hurricane area. She calls the hall of fame honor "joyful and humbling." And she's talking about the term-limit issues that prompted her to retire her judicial robes, and the changes afoot that have her keeping them on - for now. "I have had support from all the people across the political spectrum ... wanting me to stay ..., but my duty is to everybody and to nobody in particular," she said. Her resignation announcement shone a spotlight on what she said are short-comings of the state's term-limit laws. Supreme court justices can run for repeated eight-year terms until they reach the age of 70. That's too long, Weaver said. She said the governor's power to fill vacancies on the top court is an "unchecked power." Supreme Court justices should serve for seven or 14 years "at the most," she said. That would "break up power blocks," Weaver said. She cited concerns with term limits in her resignation announcement. Weaver was pleased when state Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Lake Leelanau, said she was working on proposals to address those same worries. McManus expects movement on the issue in 2006. "We don't have a concrete proposal yet because it has been ever-changing as we have conversations with people," McManus said. The topic is a "valid issue" and one McManus said she was interested in before Weaver cited it as a reason for leaving the court. Weaver said her resignation, postponed at least temporarily, was met with an "outpouring" of requests for her to stay for "various reasons." "I am known to be an independent sort, so I don't know that I could call it pressure," she said. "I will do what I feel should be done."
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