The family business
Timothy Baughman talks to daughter Lori Baughman Palmer about a case. They work at the Wayne County Prosecutors Office, and recently argued a case together in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The first...
View ArticleReturn to prison, address unknown
The Michigan Supreme Court is considering whether it’s possible for homeless sex offenders to comply with the Michigan Sex Offender Registration Act, MCL 28.271. The Act requires offenders to register...
View ArticleMost court-appointed jobs require some training
An oft-offered piece of advice for unemployed or underemployed lawyers seems to be either to go do pro bono work or simply sign up as a court-appointed lawyer to pick up experience and a few bucks...
View ArticleImmobile, but still operative
A person can be charged with “operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) causing death” if a person is killed in an ancillary crash, the Michigan Supreme Court held. The decision adopts the...
View Article‘Sear’-ious competition at cook-off
The Grosse Pointe Park home of Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Kirsten Frank Kelly was the venue for the fourth annual Bench Bar Culinary Challenge on June 15. There, the “Grilled by the Bench” judges...
View ArticleNew lawyer’s lack of understanding leads to new trial
A new attorney’s lack of understanding the basic evidence rules has led to his client getting a new trial, ruled the Michigan Supreme Court. The defense attorney in People v. Armstrong (Lawyers Weekly...
View ArticleThat’s what she said: Fact finding not required for domestic violence...
The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld a man’s home invasion and domestic violence convictions based in part on hearsay evidence of prior statements that the victim made to police. The court relied on a...
View ArticleA broken system
Frank D. Eaman leaned back in a chair in his law office in Detroit. He paused to think for a moment before answering the question: When did Michigan’s public defense system really work well? It’s been...
View Article2011: The Year in Review, Part 1
Throughout the year, we’ve been there: from the final opinions of a democratically controlled Supreme Court to even more medical marijuana news and everything in between. Join us for a brief look back...
View ArticleOn the Stand: Brandy Robinson
When Brandy Robinson took on a six-week stint at the Maya Angelou Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., she got a chance to meet the poet laureate for whom the school was named. It was in 2003,...
View ArticleSupreme Court merges indigent defense services
The merger, requested by the Appellate Defender Commission, is expected to increase efficiency and be cost-effective.
View ArticleAppellate Defender Commission honors two attorneys
A Lansing criminal defense attorney and a State Appellate Defender Office assistant defender were named recipients of the commission’s annual awards.
View ArticleUnderstanding the alternatives
When a defendant claims he or she is unable pay court fines or costs, how can a judge determine whether the defendant has made a good-faith attempt to do so? A new Ability to Pay Work Group report aims...
View ArticleUnpublished opinions: A judge’s view
A proposed court rule change that would “disfavor” citing unpublished opinions in briefs will improve lawyers’ appellate advocacy, says Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher.
View ArticleThree keep seats on Appellate Defender Commission
Two West Bloomfield lawyers and one Detroit attorney have been reappointed to the commission that oversees the State Appellate Defender Office and Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System.
View ArticleAttorneys to Supreme Court: ‘Disfavoring’ unpublished opinions is a bad idea
Amending the Michigan Court Rules to “disfavor” using unpublished opinions in appellate briefs will have many unintended — and negative — consequences, lawyers from across the state told the justices...
View ArticleGrant gives indigent felony appeals process extra muscle
The state’s indigent felony appeals system received a major boost with the recent launch of a fact-investigation assistance program.
View ArticleLeaders tout efficiency in court system
When making their annual budget presentations to lawmakers, efficiency was the key word for leaders of the Michigan Supreme Court and Michigan Court of Appeals.
View ArticleA sidebar with … Kathryn R. Swedlow
The new deputy administrator for the Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System talks about her out-of-state experience in appellate indigent defense and what she believes Michigan needs to make its...
View ArticleHigh court approves ability-to-pay amendments
Advocates — and individuals who have been unable to pay court costs — asked the Michigan Supreme Court for support, saying people with limited incomes cannot begin to make amends or move forward with...
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