When the state of Michigan legalized medical marijuana in 2008, it forgot to set up a system for opening and operating dispensaries. After a state supreme court ruling that marijuana dispensaries were not legal businesses, many dispensaries closed, either voluntarily...
Statistics make clear that a high school diploma increases a person’s lifetime earning potential in the U.S. Now there is research that indicates graduating from high school also benefits a person if he or she is convicted of a crime.The study, published in...
The father of a Grand Rapids man sentenced to 13 months in prison for deleting financial documents says he and his son made a terrible mistake. The older man blames himself for his son’s legal problems and says he was just being a good son.MLive reports that the...
The old saying tells us “ignorance of the law is no excuse.” On the other hand, if there are so many laws that we can break one without even knowing it, there may be cause for concern.The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Michigan think tank, believes...
Prosecutors claim that a Michigan woman took money raised by a charity she ran and used it for personal expenses. She has been charged with embezzlement related to nearly $20,000 in allegedly misused donations.The Michigan Attorney General’s office told WDIV...
It is a relatively short drive from Grand Rapids to Calhoun County, Michigan. That is where a pair of brothers each faces multiple charges of sexual assaults on children. According to a recent news article, the Battle Creek brothers were arraigned on four counts each...
The presumption of innocence is a cornerstone of the U.S. criminal justice system. It dictates that a person should not be presumed guilty merely because he or she has been accused of a crime. However, that protection serves no purpose in cases where a confession has...
In Michigan, a criminal trial cannot proceed if the defendant is mentally incapable of participating in his or her own defense. The defendant’s mental abilities are often in dispute at trial.For example, the attorney for a Flint woman charged with arson in...
A series of “milestone” criminal law bills have passed the Michigan legislature, potentially signaling a significant shift in the way the state treats minor offenders.According to the Detroit Free Press, the package of 20 bills would make several changes...
As controversial as drinking and driving is, sometimes there are news stories about OWI that are amusing -- at least, to those of us not facing the charges.WXIN-TV is reporting that a Michigan county commissioner was arrested back in December on suspicion of drinking...