Michigan legislators are ordered to revise the Sex Offender Registry Act (SORA) within 90 days. This comes according to an agreement between the State and those who sued the State arguing SORA is unconstitutional. Three years ago, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge’s decision that SORA is unconstitutional. Essentially, the Court…
Continue reading ›Michigan prisoners will now be eligible for parole for serious medical conditions. This law will go into effect in August. What Does the Law Do? Prisoners deemed “medically frail” will be eligible for parole before their original first “out-date” if they meet the qualifications. The prisoner can be released to a medical facility such as…
Continue reading ›Angelo Robinson was convicted of murdering Veronica Jackson in 1997. The murder was the product of a drug deal gone wrong. Robinson and Jackson were selling cocaine in an apartment complex when gang members stormed the complex, forcing Jackson in a back bedroom. Robinson was in that particular bedroom with the cocaine. Robinson assumed that…
Continue reading ›Michigan State University was allowed to suspend a student pending the completion of disciplinary proceedings in a student sexual misconduct case. These sexual misconduct cases exist in a sort of wild-west legal arena with a fast-changing legal landscape. This case may give universities more confidence to issue suspensions during such cases. However, the challenge to…
Continue reading ›Voters in Oregon may see a 2020 ballot initiative to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms. Psilocybin, sometimes referred to as “magic mushrooms” or just “shrooms” are a type of natural hallucinogenic drug. What Would the Law Do? This law would reduce most criminal penalties for psilocybin manufacture, delivery, use, and possession. The law would also allow licensed…
Continue reading ›The Michigan Court of Appeals recently held a city of Warren ordinance regulating medical marijuana grows is not enforceable. What Were the Warren Ordinances? There were two requirements contained in a Warren ordinance that were in issue in this case. The ordinance applied to medical marijuana growers who grow in their own residential home. The…
Continue reading ›Firearms charges can be some of the most serious types of charges. Especially convictions for felony-firearm, which carries mandatory terms of years in prison. The case of People v. Parkmallory discusses a case involving firearms charges. The Case Parkmallory was charged with felon in possession of a firearm and felony-firearm. The allegations in the case…
Continue reading ›Governor Whitmer signed a civil asset forfeiture reform bill today, limiting the ability of police officers to keep property they seize when an arrest is made. Under the new law, police will not be able to keep property under $50,000 unless the person is convicted of a crime. Why is this important? Nearly 1,000 people…
Continue reading ›Voters in Denver passed a law decriminalizing the use of “magic mushrooms.” What the Law Says Denver voted to effectively decriminalize mushrooms. Technically, the vote means the police department will make the enforcement of laws regarding mushrooms as the lowest department priority. Are Magic Mushrooms a Major Legal Problem? Let’s look at the numbers. The…
Continue reading ›This Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals case establishes a right of an accused to cross examine an accuser in a university sexual misconduct case where credibility is an issue. It is an important legal development for misconduct cases. Why is that important legally? Because credibility is an issue in basically all these cases. Universities are…
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