Michigan

Baby Steps: Acceptance of compensated surrogacy widens with Michigan law rewrite

Michigan’s new law sets up a streamlined system under which courts must enter a judgment of parentage for the intended parent or parents, provided they follow all of the necessary conditions.

Jun 1, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

Man accused of driving on suspended license adds to his troubles in Zoom court hearing

A judge in Michigan revoked bond for a man accused of driving on a suspended license after the defendant called into a court hearing on Zoom while driving.

May 30, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

Lawyer convicted in client’s murder in ‘elaborate and shocking sequence of events’

A Southfield, Michigan, lawyer was convicted last week in the June 2022 murder of his client in an alleged plot to gain his money.

May 28, 2024 10:39 AM CDT

Proposal to impose nation’s most restrictive cap on contingency fees may appear on ballot, judge rules

A judge in Nevada has refused to block a ballot measure that would impose a 20% cap on contingency fees in civil cases in the state.

May 15, 2024 9:29 AM CDT

Lawyer charged with illegally transmitting Michigan data after 2020 election

A lawyer who pressed election fraud claims after the 2020 presidential election is facing new criminal charges alleging that she and a township clerk allowed an unauthorized computer examiner to access voter data that included nonpublic information.

May 9, 2024 2:53 PM CDT

Lowered bar pass cut scores mean better bar pass rates in 4 states

Of the five states that lowered the minimum score required for passing the bar last year, four of them had increases in their February 2024 bar passage rates, according to the latest data compiled by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

May 7, 2024 10:23 AM CDT

Slate for 2024-2025 term announced by ABA Legal Ed Section

The ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has announced its 2024-2025 council slate.

May 3, 2024 1:34 PM CDT

ABA should consider impact of rape-disclosure questions on bar applications, 3 senators tell association

The ABA should study the prevalence of bar admissions questions that require the disclosure of campus sexual misconduct complaints and requests for orders of protection, according to a letter by three members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Apr 29, 2024 12:17 PM CDT

Which judges are most likely to issue nationwide injunctions? Party of appointing president makes a difference

Fifty-nine out of the 64 nationwide injunctions blocking Trump administration policies were issued by judges appointed by Democratic presidents, according to a study in the Harvard Law Review.

Apr 12, 2024 9:25 AM CDT

Parents of Oxford school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years each

James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the Oxford school shooter, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison by a Michigan judge on Tuesday, after their convictions in separate trials on involuntary manslaughter charges that stemmed from their son’s 2021 rampage that killed four students.

Apr 9, 2024 1:15 PM CDT

Lawyer defending ex-CEO of Overstock arrested after she is no-show on voting-machine-possession charge

A Michigan lawyer was arrested in Washington, D.C., on Monday for failing to appear for a March 7 hearing on charges that she possessed and damaged a voting machine.

Mar 20, 2024 9:44 AM CDT

Lawyers’ ‘barrage of personal attacks’ on opponents started with tissue-box toss, appeals court says

Updated: A federal appeals court saw a need for a civility lesson when it granted a new trial to a civil-fraud plaintiff because of a “barrage of personal attacks” made by opposing lawyers in a closing argument.

Mar 14, 2024 12:02 PM CDT

Lawyer mistakenly filed ‘verbatim copy’ of opponent’s brief, leading to loss for Romantics band member

A trial court did not abuse its discretion when it required a member of the rock band the Romantics to pay triple damages after his new attorney filed a “verbatim copy” of the opponent’s brief by mistake, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled.

Mar 5, 2024 8:20 AM CST

Mother of Oxford school shooter found guilty of involuntary manslaughter

Jennifer Crumbley, the 45-year-old mother of the Oxford High School shooter, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by an Oakland County jury on Tuesday, after an emotional two-week trial that examined a parent’s culpability for their child’s deadly actions.

Feb 6, 2024 1:55 PM CST

‘Even judges are not immune to theft,’ state AG says in announcing charges against former court clerk

A former court clerk in Wayne County, Michigan, has been charged with embezzling more than $60,000 from the judge for whom he worked.

Jan 24, 2024 11:11 AM CST