NPR Critiques Michigan's Court-Appointed Defense Lawyers

National Public Radio recently ran a segment on its "All Things Considered" program which was highly critical of the way lawyers are appointed by county circuit courts to defend the indigent accused here in Michigan.  Click here to link to the full story.The piece attracted dozens of comments.  NPR focused on one of the "bad apples"; Attorney Bob Slamenka from Detroit.  Slamenka just never seems to have sufficient time, energy or resources to pull-off competent representation of his court-appointed felony clients.  In addition to a series of grievances, Slamenka is now notorious for his appellate representation of wrongfully-convicted sex offender, Eddie Lloyd.  Attorney...

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Posted in: criminal defense,Eddie Lloyd,National Public Radio,Slamenka

Mich Supreme Court Passes on DNA Paternity & Parenting Case

Every so often, the seven Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court have a golden opportunity to consider momentous legal issues arising from our county family courts.  As recently as last week, the Supreme Court had the chance to decide a crucial case involving the use of DNA to determine the rights of competing Fathers.Suprisingly, however, the high court passed on the Genesse County Family Court's Lipnevicius case, remanding the matter to the Michigan Court of Appeals for a determination of parenting-related legal issues.Months earlier, the Michigan Court of Appeals likewise took a pass on the case when it denied leave to appeal one of the lower court's orders. Essentially, by remanding the case, the Supreme Court is...

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Posted in: DNA,equitable parenting doctrine,Judge Michael Theile,Justice Marilyn Kelly,Lipnevicius,Mich Court of Appeals,Mich Supreme Court,paternity

Oakland Prosecutor Sticks with Decision to Quit Sobriety Courts

From its inception in 2003 until January 2009, this Blogger (Timothy Flynn) was a member of the 52/2nd District's Sobriety Court.  This post is an update on a blog our firm posted back in May 2009.In the earlier post, The LawBlogger addressed the situation with the Oakland County Prosecutor refusing to participate in sobriety courts across the county.  Jessica Cooper has stuck to this decision and she has been receiving much (negative) attention from discrict court judges and now, the Oakland Executive, Brooks Patterson.  Click here for the full article from the Oakland Press.  In the article, Cooper makes clear that she does not think the sobriety court program is worth the expenditure. ...

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Posted in: Brooks Patterson,district court,Jessica Cooper,Oakland County Prosecutor,sobriety court,The LawBlogger,Timothy P. Flynn

Chief Justice Roberts to Attend Notre Dame Game at Big House

According to the Michigan Daily, the on-campus newspaper at the University of Michigan, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will speak today at Hill Auditorium as part of the events surrounding the UM Law School's 150-year anniversary; he will also attend the football game tomorrow versus Notre Dame.In accepting the invite from the Law School, Justice Roberts apparently turned-down a $15,000 honorarium which UM says it never expected him to accept in the first place.  Talk about Ivory Tower politics... Most of the impressive Law School events are “sold-out”.  Nevertheless, for the 100,000 plus fans expected to attend the classic fall matchup at the Big House, it’s nice to...

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Posted in: Go Blue,Justice John Roberts,Notre Dame,U.S. Supreme Court,University of Michigan Law School

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act

Last November, Michiganders legalized the use of marihuana for medicinal purposes. The resulting legislation, known as the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMA), has been widely criticized for being vague and confusing. This blog post summarizes the act and addresses some of the questions now arising in communities with licensed users and care providers.Shortly after last fall's election, the Michigan Legislature passed the MMA on December 4, 2008, making Michigan the 13th state to allow the cultivation and possession of marihuana for medical purposes. The Act cited a series of findings related to the beneficial uses of marihuana in treating nausea, pain and other effects from a variety of debilitating medical conditions. The Act also notes...

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Posted in: Judge Lisa Gorcyca,Judge Robert Turner,marihuana,marijuana,Michigan Medical Marihuana Act

U.S. Supreme Court to Re-Hear Argument on the "Hillary Movie" Case

On September 9th, the nine Justices of the United States Supreme Court will end their summer recess early to return to Washington for a rare re-argument in what has turned out to be a momentus case: Citizens United vs Federal Election Commission.The case involves federal regulation of the political documentary titled, "Hillary, The Movie", which took a critical look at the character and career of Ms Clinton back in her pre-presidential candidate days. The documentary was produced by a conservative advocacy group; Citizens United. The issue in the case arose when the group was denied permission from the FEC to distribute the short film via "on-demand" cable services. Re-arguments at the high court are very rare, giving rise to speculation...

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Posted in: federal election commission,Hillary Clinton,McCain-Feingold,U.S. Supreme Court

The Legal Watercooler: Law School. Worth the gamble??

The Legal Watercooler: Law School. Worth the gambl...

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