Criminal Justice
Michigan House speaker wants Inman to resign over federal bribery charges
Facing a federal grand jury indictment over allegations that he sent text messages to union officials seeking bribes, state Rep. Larry Inman (R-Williamsburg) is maintaining his innocence. Inman was absent from House session on Wednesday. In a statement released through his attorney, he said he’s “innocent of these charges. I have never compromised the integrity of […]
Developing: Rep. Inman indicted for trying to sell his prevailing wage vote
Updated, 11:24 a.m. State Rep. Larry Inman (R-Williamsburg) has been indicted on charges he attempted to solicit bribes last summer in exchange for a vote in favor of keeping the state’s prevailing wage law, which was ultimately repealed. According to a federal grand jury indictment, Inman sent text messages to representatives from the Michigan Regional […]
Julia Pulver: Abortion 101: Because our lawmakers need a refresher
Perhaps it’s been a long time since some had a high school health class or even basic studies in anatomy and physiology. Because there are several male-dominated legislatures that are proposing wildly inaccurate and breathtakingly inappropriate prescriptions for women’s reproductive health care across the country. This is true in Michigan, as the state House and […]
Republicans pass abortion ban on Right to Life lobby day
Updated, 4:40 p.m., with House votes and additional reporting Senate and House Republicans on Tuesday passed bills banning an abortion procedure after declining to pursue similar legislation last term when GOP Gov. Rick Snyder was at the helm — even though the party enjoyed a larger majority in both chambers. But with Democratic Gov. Gretchen […]
Michigan prisons have undergone big reforms on Washington’s watch
Michigan Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Heidi Washington is the only carryover cabinet member from former Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration. She is responsible for the department’s 13,000 employees and approximately 39,000 prisoners housed in correctional facilities around Michigan. When then-Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer announced last year that Washington was staying on, she cited the “significant decrease” […]
Keith memorialized as historic jurist and ‘amazing man’
Hundreds of mourners attended a three-hour funeral service for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Damon J. Keith on Monday at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in northwest Detroit. Keith died on April 28 at age 96. The Detroit native was appointed as a U.S. district judge by President Lyndon Johnson in October 1967. President Jimmy Carter […]
Nessel slams GOP auto insurance bills as ‘carte blanche’ for fraud
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released an official statement today opposing recently passed Republican plans to reform the state’s auto insurance system, saying they would “destroy” her office’s efforts to combat insurance fraud. “Without any funding appropriations – in addition to the Senate’s 10 percent reduction in our General Fund appropriation – auto insurance fraud […]
Gov. issues 1st line-item veto in wrongful imprisonment bill, signs snow day forgiveness
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed two bills on Friday — one improving transparency in the state’s Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Fund in which she issued her first line-item veto and another unexpectedly controversial bill forgiving four make-up days for Michigan schools. House Bill 4286, sponsored by state Rep. Steve Johnson (R-Wayland), which passed unanimously through both the […]
Nessel asks court to reject Nassar re-sentencing appeal
Attorney General Dana Nessel is asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to reject an appeal from disgraced former Michigan State University gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 100 young girls. Nessel wrote in a legal brief in reply to Nassar’s attorneys […]
Karen Holcomb-Merrill: We must support our immigrant neighbors
As a United Church of Christ minister and advocate with the Michigan League for Public Policy, I am given a daily opportunity to practice what I preach. And my two worlds have been particularly aligned lately, as I’ve had a few opportunities to represent my faith and my profession in standing up for and alongside […]
Whitmer signs bipartisan civil asset forfeiture bills
Even amid a bitter fight over auto insurance legislation, lawmakers from Michigan’s two major parties came together on Thursday to celebrate the enactment of long-awaited criminal justice reform bills. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed three measures that will forbid, in most cases, law enforcement from seizing property like cash, cars or houses from those who […]
Nessel joins AGs urging marijuana banking legislation
Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined yet another national coalition of attorneys general advocating for legal reform, this time to federal banks’ ability to service marijuana-related businesses. The bipartisan group of 38 AGs are urging Congress to pass the Secure And Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. House Resolution 1595 was introduced by a bipartisan group […]