In a story that has gone viral on both Facebook and YouTube, there are accusations that inmates at the Wayne County Jail are not being treated for COVID-19. A Wayne County Jail spokesperson provided this comment that was posted on WXYZ: “Yes. We have five inmates in quarantine right now.…
The state of Michigan (and for that matter every other state across our country) is faced with a concern over the “Speedy Trial” rule, which is likely to be compromised during COVID-19. According to the Michigan Court Rules (MCR 6.004) in a felony case in which the defendant has been…
In a move that surprised very few, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended Michigan’s stay at home order through the end of April. She made the announcement Thursday, just four days before the original order was set to expire on Monday, April 13. With this order in place, many in the…
Michigan State Rep. Larry Inman was tried on 3 different counts in federal court this past December. He was accused of lying to the FBI, extortion, and bribery. The jury acquitted Inman of lying to the FBI, but they were deadlocked on the other two charges and did not come…
In the wake of COVID-19, many Michigan courts have utilized Zoom as a mechanism to online hearings. At first, this was thought to be a way to handle massive court dockets while preserving a defendant’s constitutional rights. A recent article on NPR has caused great concern in the legal community.…
One issue that is gaining traction in the Michigan criminal justice system is the concerns of criminal defense attorneys having a defendant’s constitutional rights violated. The matter has been raised amid COVID-19, and our courts move to many online hearings. To gain insight into this issue, we spoke to several…
The United States Supreme Court has recently ruled to limit the rights of people accused of crimes. The Supreme Court declared that states can bar defendants from using the “insanity defense” in criminal cases. This ruling basically allows states to determine what they will allow for defenses in that area.…
The Detroit Free Press has reported Michigan the first coronavirus case at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. This brings the number of state prisoners to 24 along with seven Michigan Department of Corrections employees that have tested positive for the disease. What this means to the future of criminal justice…
Did you know that up until now, if you were charged with a misdemeanor it was not required that the prosecutor provide you with the police report used to charge you? Previously, it was left to the prosecutor whether they wanted to share items of discovery like a police report…
It is fairly common knowledge that if you have a court date, you are expected to show up on time for that date. In a criminal case, you are personally required to be present for most all hearings. In a civil case, the requirement to be personally present is typically…