Supreme Court
Michigan Supreme Court won’t hear appeals in Flint water crisis cases
The Michigan Supreme court will not hear appeals to the lower courts’ decisions to dismiss criminal charges against key figures in the Flint Water Crisis prosecution, including the state health director at the time. Nine officials in Michigan, including former Gov. Rick Snyder, were charged in 2021, in connection to the Flint water crisis that […]
New federal water pollution rule draws mixed reaction
A federal rule limiting agencies’ power to regulate water pollution will severely restrict protections for waters and wetlands throughout the country, but could also be subject to challenges from conservative groups that maintain the new rule exerts more federal jurisdiction than the U.S. Supreme Court intended in a May decision. With the rule published Tuesday to redefine […]
Biden administration provides guidance on diversity in college admissions
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice and Department of Education jointly released guidance on Monday to colleges and universities about how to consider race in admissions decisions, following the Supreme Court’s summer decision that struck down affirmative action in higher education. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, on a call with reporters, said higher education institutions can continue to participate in […]
Weeks after anti-trans salon posts, Traverse City grapples with legal, community implications
Nearly a month after a hair salon owner’s anti-trans Facebook posts sent shockwaves through the Traverse City community, officials and locals alike are still wrestling with what it means to be accepting in northern Michigan. Christine Geiger, the owner of Studio 8 Hair Lab, found herself in the national spotlight after posting on Facebook that […]
State education board requests AG opinion on Whitmer’s new MiLEAP dept.
Updated, 2:30 p.m., 8/9/23 Michigan Superintendent of Instruction Michael Rice, at the instruction of the Democratic-led State Board of Education, called upon Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday to issue an opinion on the constitutionality of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s newly created Department of Lifelong Education Advancement Potential (MiLEAP). Whitmer, a Democrat, announced in July the […]
Nessel calls ‘ghost gun’ regulation reinstated by SCOTUS ‘essential’
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday narrowly voted to reinstate a Biden Administration policy against so-called “ghost guns,” which Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says is “essential” to efforts at curbing gun violence. The 5-4 decision, which granted a stay of enforcement against a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of […]
Column: America is treading in perilous and unprecedented historical waters
Much of what we are witnessing in local and national politics goes beyond typical partisan policy differences and divides. There are real efforts to dismantle what America has purported to be about — A land where all of its citizens have the same rights under the Constitution. Some of the rhetoric and proposed policies in […]
Michigan Supreme Court: No-fault auto insurance changes don’t impact prior services
Changes to Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance law do not apply to individuals injured before the changes were issued, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled on Monday. When the Michigan Legislature amended the no-fault act in 2019, which was signed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the new law included limits to family-provided attendant care reimbursement and established […]
Column: Democrats revive the Equal Rights Amendment from a long legal limbo, face an uphill battle
Democrats in Congress are making a new push to get the long-dormant proposed Equal Rights Amendment enshrined into law. As legislation, it would guarantee sex equality in the Constitution and could serve as a potential legal antidote to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which removed the federal right […]
LGBTQ+ couples barred from marriage retain parental rights, Michigan Supreme Court rules
The Michigan Supreme Court on Monday ruled that unmarried people in same-sex relationships can seek custody and parenting time of their children following a breakup. In a 5-2 decision, the court held that former members of a same-sex couple can seek custody of a child whom they share no genetic connection to if the couple […]
Ethics rules for Supreme Court justices approved on party-line vote by U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Thursday approved a proposal to impose a code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court, amid revelations that justices failed to disclose luxury travel and real estate deals, as well as directing staff to promote book sales. The panel split along party lines, in an 11-10 vote, […]
U.S. Dept. of Ed: Over 26K borrowers in Michigan are eligible for student loan debt forgiveness
More than 26,000 Michiganders will have their student loan debts forgiven, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The department announced Friday that it had begun contacting the more than 800,000 borrowers who are eligible to have their student loans discharged who qualify under fixes to Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans implemented by President Joe Biden’s […]