courts

Abuelazam gets life without parole, other Flint stabbing cases remain

The Associated Press — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:52:28 +0000

A prosecutor handling charges from a 2010 stabbing spree in the Flint area says he'll talk to victims and relatives about offering plea deals to close the remaining cases.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton says he needs to balance their feelings with the costs of taking eight more cases to trial. Elias Abuelazam was sentenced to life in prison without parole Monday, a month after being convicted in the first murder trial.

Abuelazam still faces two murder trials and six attempted murder trials. He's also charged with attempted murder in Toledo, Ohio.

It's not known if the 35-year-old Abuelazam is even interested in settling the remaining cases. The next court hearing won't occur until near Labor Day.

Judges dismiss challenge to Michigan House redistricting

The Associated Press — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:42:17 +0000

DETROIT (AP) - A coalition of labor and civil rights groups appears to have lost a lawsuit challenging new boundaries for Detroit seats in the Michigan House.

A three-judge panel said a majority was in favor of ending the case, and a written opinion will follow. The judges heard arguments Friday on the state of Michigan's request to dismiss the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims the new map is illegal because it dilutes the political representation of minorities and forces some black incumbents to run against each other in Detroit this year. The boundaries were approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Snyder, also a Republican.

John Bursch of the attorney general's office defended the map, noting the 10 House seats in Detroit have a majority black population.

Inkster judge placed on paid suspension, script to be flipped

Mark Brush, Sarah Hulett and Rick Pluta — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:37:28 +0000

Last April, Inskster District Court Judge Sylvia James was placed on administrative leave with pay after city officials leveled charges of financial mismanagement against her.

As Michigan Radio's Sarah Alvarez reported, James "could not explain why court funds were used to pay for travel, clothing, and other expenses."

Another judge took her place, and the State Supreme Court started looking into the charges.

State Bar Association says Michigan needs court reform

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:30:35 +0000

The Michigan State Bar wants to change the way the state's courts work.

A task force of judges and lawyers are recommending changes they say will save the state money.

The Judicial Crossroads Task Force suggests:

consolidating trial courts
giving business cases higher priority
and letting existing judges retire without replacing them

Michigan has 246 separate courts and 586 judges.

Chief Justice Young calls for cuts in the courts

Mark Brush — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:10:28 +0000

Newly appointed Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Young is calling for budget cuts in Michigan's judiciary, reports Rick Pluta of the Michigan Public Radio Network.

Pluta reports that Chief Justice Young "says he will call for combining courts and cutting judges in areas where there are fewer people and fewer cases." Young said:

"The Legislature will either do something rational to reduce the size and cost of the judiciary, or it will do something irrational. I think it is most rational to reduce redundancy rather than to cut into the judiciary in ways that will disable it from fulfilling its constitutional duties."

Pluta says "a 2009 report by the State Court Administrator says the state could save $2 million by eliminating more than a dozen judgeships in metro Detroit and northern Michigan."

Commentary: Fixing Our Courts

Jack Lessenberry — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:21:34 +0000

Marilyn Kelly, who is now Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, has given her life to Michigan’s legal system.

Now in her last term on the bench, she doesn’t like a lot of what she has been seeing lately. Besides deciding cases, Michigan’s Supreme Court is charged with overseeing all the other courts.

And she fears that the public is losing respect for the judiciary, in part because of the way judges are chosen. Especially higher-level judges, those who sit on appellate and supreme courts.

Juror posts "guilty" on Facebook before trial ends

Mark Brush — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:42:44 +0000

You're supposed to keep an open mind when sitting as a juror in a trial. If you can't, it's definitely not a good idea to broadcast your prejudices about a case on the web.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Hadley Jons, while sitting on a jury in a resisting arrest case "wrote on Facebook that it was 'gonna be fun to tell the defendant they're GUILTY.'"

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Weaver resigns

Mark Brush — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:39:06 +0000

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth "Betty" Weaver is resigning. Weaver is a Republican, but she was expected to run for re-election this November as an independent. Justice Weaver openly feuded with some of her Republic colleagues on the court.