courts
Black family sues Grosse Pointe man who displayed KKK flag outside their home
A Black mother and her daughter filed a racial harassment and discrimination lawsuit against their former white neighbor in Grosse Pointe Park on Tuesday after he terrorized them and displayed a Ku Klux Klan flag in a side window facing their home in 2021. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court alleges Ryan Wilde began tormenting JeDonna […]
Michigan judge says only Congress can keep Trump off of the 2024 ballot
A Michigan Court of Claims judge on Tuesday agreed with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson that her office lacks the authority to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the ballot for the 2024 Republican primary election. The ruling by Judge James Robert Redford determined that arguments as to whether Trump should be barred based on […]
On this day in 1979: Anna Diggs Taylor is sworn in as a federal judge, making history
On Nov. 15, 1979, Detroit attorney Anna Diggs Taylor was sworn in as a federal court judge for Michigan’s Eastern District. The 46-year-old was the first African-American woman to serve in the post. She was appointed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Attending the ceremony included United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young; Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young; […]
Courts, state officials hesitate to keep Trump off 2024 ballots
Some scholars say a little-known, Civil War-era provision in the U.S. Constitution should prohibit former President Donald Trump from appearing on state ballots in next year’s presidential election. But it seems increasingly unlikely that he will be disqualified. Courts in Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey and elsewhere are considering whether Trump engaged in insurrection on Jan. […]
8 Republicans introduce articles of impeachment against Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel
A group of eight Republican state representatives on Thursday introduced a resolution bringing articles of impeachment against Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel that has little chance of being adopted. State Reps. James DeSana (R-Carleton), Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix), Joseph Fox (R-Fremont), Rachelle Smit (R-Martin), Matt Maddock (R-Milford), Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) and Angela […]
Repeal of Michigan’s Engler-era drug immunity law passes House
A bill repealing a Michigan law preventing state lawsuits against drug manufacturers passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. Senate Bill 410, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), passed 79-30 in an overwhelming show of support for the rollback of the 1995 law. It’s now up to the Senate to approve the final […]
Anti-abortion protesters gather at Michigan Capitol as lawsuit is filed to overturn Proposal 3
One year after Michigan voters passed landmark abortion rights laws via Proposal 3, over 1,000 people rallied to eliminate it during a “march for life” at the Capitol building. Earlier the same morning, Right to Life of Michigan, the event’s organizer, filed a lawsuit alongside other Michigan organizations in federal court asking for legal intervention […]
Federal lawsuit argues Hamtramck’s LGBTQ+ Pride flag ban is unconstitutional
A federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges the city of Hamtramck’s Pride flag ban violates free speech rights and numerous other state and federal laws. The lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Detroit was filed on behalf of former Hamtramck Human Relations Commission members Russ Gordon and Cathy Stackpoole. The Hamtramck residents were fired from the commission […]
Program to protect the addresses of Michigan violence survivors has its first participants
Less than two months ago, Michigan’s Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) launched and interest and support for it is strong, Program Coordinator Karen Hall told the Michigan Domestic & Sexual Violence Prevention & Treatment Board (MDSVPTB) at their meeting Friday. Back in September, the Michigan Attorney General’s office launched the ACP, which allows survivors of different […]
Michigan is the only state that criminalizes surrogacy contracts, but bills aim to change that
It took nearly two years for Tammy and Jordan Myers of Grand Rapids to adopt their biological children, who are twins, after they were born via a surrogate in 2021. It was a process, Tammy Myers told lawmakers on Wednesday, that was “heartbreaking, offensive and extremely costly.” Michigan’s current laws don’t allow for contracts for […]
Rep. Smit honors men acquitted in governor kidnapping plot
Michigan Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) last week offered special tribute to two men who were acquitted in the criminal case over their participation in a failed plot to kidnap the governor. Smit, offered honors and tribute at an event in Allegan County last Friday to twin brothers Michael and William Null who in September were […]
Michigan judge declines Trump’s request to toss lawsuit to remove him from ballot
A judge on Wednesday rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to force him off the 2024 ballot in Michigan. Court of Claims Judge James Robert Redford denied the request and turned down Trump’s motion to be party to the lawsuit, citing the court’s limited jurisdiction. In the order, Redford […]