By David Fleet
Editor
It was at Goodrich High School more than 20 years ago that Jennifier Manley decided she would seek a career as a lawyer.
On Tuesday night she returned to GHS as not only a successful attorney, but now a district court judge.
‘As a new judge I am dedicated to taking the time to get to know my whole community better,? said Manley. ‘I believe the more involved a judge is in the community, the better they will be able to serve that community. I will always remember that the judicial system is for the benefit of the public and the litigants, not the judiciary.?
Last November, Manley was elected as judge to the 67th Genesee County District Court second division and while her first day on the job was actually Jan. 2, on Tuesday she was sworn in before area judges, attorneys, friends and family in an investiture ceremony at the Raymond C. Green Auditorium at Goodrich High School.
The 67th judgeship includes the communities of Burton, Davison, Otisville and her hometown of Goodrich, as well as the townships of Atlas, Davison, Forest, and Richfield. Manley replaced Genesee District Judge John L. Conover, who could not seek re-election since the Michigan Constitution does not allow individuals 70 and older to be elected to a state judicial office.
Manley, 40, a Detroit native, moved to Goodrich when she was 8-years-old and attended Reid Elementary School as a third grade student.
‘When I was in high school at Goodrich I participated in Law Day sponsored by the Genesee County Bar Association where we could spend time at the courthouse,? she said. ‘I was even selected to participate in a mock trial in the court room. I just loved it and knew right, as high school student then what I was going to do the rest of my life.?
After graduation from Goodrich High School in 1992, Manley began her undergraduate work at Michigan State University, then transferred to William Tyndale College in Farmington Hills, earning a degree in communications. She then entered Cooley Law School in 1996, completing her studies in 1998.
‘I answered an advertisement in the newspaper in my second semester of law school to volunteer in the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office,? she said. ‘I stayed there in Jackson as an intern throughout my time in law school.?
In February 1999, she applied to the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office before receiving the results of the Michigan Bar Exam which she took that same month. Then for more than a decade she handled many high profile cases for the prosecutor’s office.
In 2012, Manley decided to leave the prosecutor’s office to expand her career in the legal system.
She had married local defense attorney Frank Manley the year before, and went to work as a partner in his firm.
Manley has two children, Alex and Emily, who attend Goodrich Schools.