CSI Oakland County

Hard to believe that right here in Oakland County, Michigan, there is sufficient crime to sustain a nearly $2 million dollar a year crime lab.  Yet that is what Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard will be announcing this morning in conjunction with his department's request for an expanded crime lab.Sheriff Bouchard is expected to tout the Oakland County crime lab's accreditation by the American Society of Crime Lab Directors; the first lab in Michigan to achieve such status.  Allocation of the resources for the proposed expansion (up to 3 additional employees and the constantly advancing hi-tech equipment with which they will work) seems like politically rough terrain in these times.Apparently, the expansion will allow Oakland County...

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Posted in: crime scene investigation,Detroit,Michigan State Police,Oakland County,Oakland County Prosecutor,Oakland County Sheriff,Sheriff Mike Bouchard

So You Want to Be a Circuit Judge

Good news!  Governor Rick Snyder has put out an official notice for applications to fill a seat opening up on the Wayne County Circuit Court vacated by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Mary Beth Kelly.  Here is the application, should you be an interested practicing attorney living in Wayne County.Some fantastic Wayne Circuit Judges have come from gubernatorial appointments; Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra comes to mind.Although not completely clear, this current spot will probably be on the family court, so you would preside over a steady diet of divorces and custody battles.Once you get appointed, don't get too comfortable; the State Court Administrative Office has slated one Wayne County judgeship...

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Posted in: Detroit,divorce,family court,Governor Rick Snyder,Justice Brian Zahra,Justice Mary Beth Kelly,Robert Ficano,Wayne County Circuit Court

Anti-Shariah Law (Part II)

State Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) The Law Blogger recently posted on the Anti-Shariah movement earlier this month.  Now, the Michigan legislature is getting in on the act along with the American Bar Association.HB 4769, sponsored by Rep. Dave Agema of Grandville and numerous other legislators, seeks to restrict contracts and agreements calling for the application of foreign laws whenever such application would conflict with the rights set forth in the U. S. and Michigan Constitutions.  The bill was introduced last week and was assigned to the Judiciary Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives.Judges presiding over disputes involving such contracts and agreements would be required to amend the...

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Posted in: American Bar Association,Dave Agema,Detroit,divorce,family law,First Amendment,Islamic law,Michigan Constitution,Muslim,Rashida Tlaib,Shariah law,U.S. Constitution

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Ruled Illegal by Court of Appeals

Yes, the ballot proposal writers hired by our pot lobby handed criminal defense lawyers a gift-horse when they wrote-up the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act.  Just how are folks supposed to get their marijuana anyway?A 3-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals has reversed an Isabella County Circuit Judge that had denied the county prosecutor's request for an injunction that would close down the local Compassion Apothecary; a medical marijuana dispensary.  After this decision, consider the Apothecary closed.The sole issue decided in the case was whether the MMA provides for the "sale" of medical marijuana.  The Court of Appeals said, "no".  That was a foregone conclusion under any plain reading of the provisions of the...

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Posted in: defense lawyer,Isabella County,medical marijuana,Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette,Michigan Court of Appeals,Michigan Medical Marijuana Act

When Your Children Live with a Murderer Endorsed by the Family Court

A very worried Trisha Conlon This bizarre family law custody case is playing out in Seattle, WA.  The unusual facts of the case bring into sharp focus the challenge of putting parents' often-questionable decisions through review by a family court judge.In 1995 Trisha Conlon married Marine fighter pilot John Cushing, Jr.; a man with a tragic past.  His ex-wife, Kristine Cushing, shot to death their two young daughters, 4 and 8, while they slept in their Southern California home.  This was in 1991, when Mr. Cushing was on active duty in the Marine Corps and Mrs. Cushing, by all accounts, was an ideal soccer Mom.Kristine Cushing's murder trial featured the now infamous "Prozac Defense"; she was found guilty by reason...

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Posted in: child custody,divorce,divorce lawyer,family court,family law,infanticide,Prozac,Seattle,split custody,Trisha Conlon,Vashon Island

Cooley Law Alumni Sues Alma Mater in Class Action Suit

A class action law suit was filed against the Cooley Law School this week in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan.  In addition to legal counsel from Gotham, attorney Steve Hyder from Monroe, MI, himself a Cooley graduate, is local counsel on the suit.The 45-page complaint reads like an indictment on the issue of student loans versus available law jobs in this protracted economic downturn.  The complaint alleges that Cooley intentionally uses false statistics (i.e. graduate employment rates and graduates' salaries) to lure and retain prospective law students .The New York law firm handling the heavy lifting in the suit, Kurzon Strauss, is also suing the New York Law School on nearly identical...

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Posted in: attorney,Cooley Law School,Craigslist,Facebook,law student,lawyer,Miller Canfield,Steve Hyder,U.S. District Court

Vote for the Law Blogger in the ABA's Top 100

This is the 5th year the ABA Journal has conducted an on-line poll to determine the best law blogs out there in Cyber-Space.  If you like our law blog, please vote for us by clicking here.  The Amici form required to register your vote can be anonymous and only takes a minute.  Non-lawyers can vote for this blog.The scope of content covered by the ABA's top 100 blogs is truly amazing.  One of the best features of such a poll is the diverse legal specialties that come into focus.  Niche areas such as intellectual property, patents, tax law, Internet law, and estate planning are ideal for blog coverage.  The attorneys that administer blogs in these areas are specialists devoted to the development of...

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Posted in: ABA,ABA Journal,American Bar Association,attorney,law blog,law blogs,lawyer,The LawBlogger

Fab Five Continues to Disappoint UM Fans

For all their hype, the men behind the Fab Five continue to disappoint fans, supporters and alumni of the University of Michigan.First it was Chris Webber's phantom time-out vs North Carolina in the 1993 Final Four game.  Then the premature abandonment of the University of Michigan Basketball Program by the headliners of the group, Webber and Jalen Rose.  Next, the final four banners were removed from Chrysler Arena due to the Ed Martin booster scandal. This month, it's two criminal convictions right here in Oakland County; one for Jalen Rose, who's doing 20-days in the Oakland County Jail on a sentence from 48th District Judge Kim Small; the other is for charges of felony child support against Jimmy King.  According to the Michigan...

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Posted in: child support,child support arrearage,drunk driving,Judge Kim Small,Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette,Oakland County Circuit Court,Oakland County Jail,University of Michigan

Ex-Spouse Takes Out Divorce Angst on his Blog

Boy, would I welcome the chance to write this appeal. A family court judge in Bucks County, Pennsylvania has enjoined divorcee Anthony Morelli from operating his web site devoted to his ex-wife; thepsychoexwife. Judge Diane Gibbons based her decision on grounds the Father's blog, which details his failed marriage, his tortuous divorce process, and its protracted custody battle, is harming his young children.  In fact, the blog does a hatchet job on his ex.Morelli says the blog is a forum where he can help others "minimize conflict" and connect to share stories. He would like us to think of his blog as a kumbaya community where divorced men can rip their ex-wives with impunity.  Touching, for real.His lawyers have appealed Judge Gibblons'...

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Posted in: Anthony Morelli,divorce,divorce blog,family law,family law lawyer,First Amendment,Judge Diane Gibbons

150 Posts & Counting; Thank You Readers!

Since March 2009, we here at the LawBlogger have had the distinct privilege of posting law-related content via the Oakland Press in Pontiac, MI.  It has been a great relationship.Over the past two and a half years, we have posted 150 times to this blog, attracting over 40,000 page views.  Very small by national standards, but we're proud of our readership.On a daily basis, we know that many of our readers scan and absorb fresh content by:checking their email(s);perusing their news feeds;browsing several on-line newspapers and trade publications;surfing their social media feeds; actually reading a home-delivered newspaper (old school); andoccasionally watching news on television or the Internet.We also know that our readers only...

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Posted in: Clarkston Legal,lawyer,Oakland Press,The LawBlogger

The Anti-Shariah Movement

There is a growing movement afoot in the United States and Western Europe to arrest the perceived expansion of Islamic Law; also known as Shariah Law.  As the Anti-Shariah movement gains momentum here in the US, it is bumping up against the "free speech" clause of our First Amendment.Sharia, the Islamic code that guides a Muslim's beliefs and conduct, is increasingly viewed by some legislators as a legal system that seeks world domination.  This fear has been attached to Islam for centuries.The most vocal leader of the contemporary Anti-Shariah movement, David Yerushelmi, was profiled on the front page of last Sunday's NYT.  An attorney in New York and a Hasidic Jew, Mr. Yerushelmi has aligned himself with a phalanx...

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Posted in: bet din,David Yerushelmi,family law,Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals,First Amendment,Hasidic,Islamic law,Shariah law