JURIST - Michigan

The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday in Metrish v. Lancaster that respondent Burt Lancaster is not entitled to federal habeas relief. Lancaster was convicted of murder in a Michigan state court. At the time the crime was committed, the Michigan appeals court recognized "diminished capacity....... [more]

3/25/2013: Supreme Court granted certiorari to hear new affirmative action case 11/15/2012: Sixth Circuit ruled Michigan ban on affirmative action unconstitutional 11/6/2012: Oklahoma voters approved ban on affirmative action 10/10/2012: Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Fisher v. University....... [more]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases Wednesday. In Metrish v. Lancaster the court heard arguments on whether the Michigan Supreme Court violated due process rights when it recognized a state statute that abolished the diminished capacity defense and applied it retroactively to defe....... [more]

A Michigan state court judge on Wednesday denied a request by Attorney General Bill Schuette to dismiss a lawsuit filed by organized labor supporters and alleging that the state's new right-to-work laws were passed in violation of the Michigan Open Meetings Act (OMA). In denying the motion to dismi....... [more]

JURIST Guest Columnist Susan H. Bitensky of the Michigan State University College of Law says that the International Labor Organization's recent report addressing gaps in the current legal regime erected against forced labor is commendable but unsatisfying, arguing that it only superficially touches....... [more]

Tribal Chairman Dexter McNamara of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, a northern Michigan Native American tribe, on Friday signed into law the Waganakising Odawak Statute 2013-003, a measure approving same-sex marriage. The law repeals Waganakising Odawak Statute 2007-001 which only p....... [more]

JURIST Guest Columnist Karla Swift of the Michigan State AFL-CIO argues that the "right to work" laws enacted by the Michigan Legislature in 2012 are unconstitutional and were enacted in violation of Michigan's Open Meeting Act...The Michigan State AFL-CIO is currently pursuing two separate litigati....... [more]

JURIST Guest Columnist Theodore J. St. Antoine of the University of Michigan Law School says that although Michigan's right-to-work laws raise several constitutional issues and were adopted under unusual circumstances, the courts will likely uphold the core provisions prohibiting the union shop....O....... [more]

The US Supreme Court ruled 8-1 on Wednesday in Evans v. Michigan that double jeopardy applies even if the trial judge acquitted the defendant based upon an erroneous ruling on the required elements of the offense. The defendant was charged with arson for burning down a vacant house in violation of a....... [more]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 6-3 in Bailey v. United States that police cannot a detain a suspect a mile away from the premises in the search warrant. The court found that Michigan v. Summers does not apply to this situation, where Chunon Bailey was detained a mile away from his residence....... [more]

Two members of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday reintroduced a controversial bill that would allow private companies and the federal government to share private security information related to cyber threats. In a bipartisan effort, Michigan Republican Mike Rogers and Maryland Democrat C....... [more]