Alumni success

This year's recipient of the Award of Merit for Applied Research is Kevin Michael Tatroe, court administrator for the Eighth District Court in Michigan. His paper, "The Price of Justice; Geographic Inconsistency and Administrative Reform in Michigan's Trial Court Funding System," examines the structure and consequences of administrative court costs in Michigan district courts under MCL 769.1k, a statute scheduled to sunset in December 2026. 

The findings suggest that Michigan's decentralized cost-assessment framework produced arbitrary financial outcomes, dictated by geographic location and local judicial practice rather than by differences in offense severity or actual court operating expenses. Recommendations include establishing uniform cost-assessment methodologies, requiring front-end ability-to-pay determinations, transitioning to passive collection mechanisms, and fully adopting the Michigan Judicial Council's 2025 Alternative Funding for Trial Courts implementation plan to ensure greater consistency, transparency, and equity in the state court-funding structure.

Michael P. Bouchard, III, was selected by his classmates to represent the class by giving a speech at graduation.  With a career spanning nearly every part of the justice system, Bouchard currently serves as chief deputy district court administrator for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In this role, he oversees fiscal management, human resources, technology, procurement, research, legal services, and major systemwide initiatives in a court with more than 2,100 employees, 123 judges, and a nearly $200 million budget.

Described as personable, professional, and articulate, Bouchard consistently motivated his classmates and exemplifies the leadership, collaboration, innovation, and commitment to public service that define the Fellows experience.