Michigan judges ordered to honor pronouns of parties in court

By ED WHITE
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered all judges to address people in court by the pronouns they use or by “other respectful means.” Justice Elizabeth Welch says gender identity is an individual’s identity, “regardless of whether others agree.” For example, there are a growing number of people who use they, them and their as a gender-neutral singular personal pronoun. During a public comment period, some critics cited religious reasons for not wanting to address someone by a pronoun they use. But the rule will allow judges to avoid pronouns and refer to someone by their role in the case, such as attorney or plaintiff, followed by a last name.