Published: November 06, 2009 07:50 am      

Supreme court adopts disqualification rules

LANSING -- Michigan Supreme Court justices have adopted formal rules for stepping aside from cases if they have a conflict of interest.

The rules, approved 4-3 Thursday, let justices review another justice's decision not to step aside in some cases. Justices will have to step aside if they are biased or if there is an appearance of impropriety.

The court currently has an unwritten tradition of leaving it up to each justice to decide if he or she should step aside because of a conflict of interest.

The court is not requiring all parties before it to list their campaign donations to specific justices.