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Chief justice says Supreme Court needs to be more ‘nonpartisan’
For the first time in a decade, a Democrat is leading the Michigan Supreme Court with Bridget McCormack. That’s even more remarkable since the court still has a 4-3 GOP majority. The new chief justice told the Michigan Advance in an in-depth interview on Friday that she believes the court ultimately “needs to be more […]
Susan J. Demas: Gretchen Whitmer will be a national star, whether you like it or not
Newly inaugurated Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she has no plans to land on the 2020 ticket. In fact, she was pretty emphatic that she didn’t want to run for president or vice president when I interviewed her in December before she took office. But voters might have other ideas. Something is definitely happening here in […]
Michigan in national news: Biden buoyed Upton in 2018
With 10 million people, a full-time Legislature and our status as a 2020 swing state, Michigan is frequently in the glare of the national spotlight. Here’s a roundup of some national coverage of the Mitten State that you may have missed over the last week: There’s been a flurry of stories former Vice President Joe […]
Kildee: Trump took a ‘defeat lap’ on shutdown
Before President Trump even signed the bill reopening the government — without any money for his border wall — Michigan officials took to Twitter on Friday. This was the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. As the Advance has noted, this impacted people in Michigan and across the country in many ways, including cinching […]
AG could weigh in on Elliott-Larsen, but GOP leader doesn’t favor adding LGBTQs
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission (MCRC) will consider asking Attorney General Dana Nessel to review an opinion of her predecessor, Bill Schuette, to decide whether the term “sex” in the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act includes sexual orientation and gender identity. This comes on the same day that House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) said on “Off […]
Bipartisan bill makes state jobless benefits available for federal workers during shutdown
A bipartisan pair of Michigan lawmakers, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), have teamed up with legislation for unpaid federal workers during the partial government shutdown. They introduced this week emergency legislation to allow states to make unemployment benefits available to unpaid federal workers, who, despite the shutdown, have continued to […]
Michigan gets $3M in Johnson & Johnson medical device settlement
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today that she and 45 other attorneys general reached a settlement with companies over medical devices. Michigan’s cut is $2.93 million. The AG office said the $120 million Consent Judgment with Johnson & Johnson and Medical Device Business Inc, formerly known as DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., resolves allegations that DePuy unlawfully promoted […]
AG to weigh in on another GOP Lame Duck law
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel “welcomes” the opinion request from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson that challenges the legality of the newly established law limiting ballot petition drives, Public Act 608 of 2018. “Restricting the right of Michiganders to participate in the political process is a serious subject matter,” said Nessel, a Democrat. “PA 608 […]
Trump bypasses Michigan for State of the Union speech
Michigan’s dream of hosting President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech is over almost as quickly as it began. After landing on “Fox and Friends” on Monday morning, Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) tweeted Tuesday afternoon his thanks to Trump “for the great conversation earlier this AM and for your continued commitment to […]
Susan J. Demas: John Engler, living embodiment of toxic masculinity
Nobody expected John Engler to go gently into that good night. And he didn’t. In an 11-page screed dripping with bitterness and a twinge of self-pity, Michigan State University’s interim president essentially told the board last week: “You can’t fire me; I quit.” The GOP former three-term governor — who has remained a larger-than-life figure […]
Twitter roundup: Kildee calls Trump a #manbaby, Tlaib has Cardi B’s back
This week in Twitter is probably best summed up with the fire emoji, as past and present members of Michigan’s congressional delegation weighed in on the partial federal government shutdown and more. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint), majority chief deputy whip, took his case against President Donald Trump to both MSNBC and social media. Kildee […]
Judge Miller dies at age 80
Updated, 1:55 p.m., with Attorney General Dana Nessel’s statement: Former Macomb County Judge Donald Miller, husband of longtime former U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, died Friday morning, the Macomb Daily reports. Appointed by Gov. John Engler, Donald Miller served as a circuit court Judge from 1998 until he retired in 2010. He also served for seven […]