Featured Event
State Bar of Michigan Annual Meeting
Criminal Law Section & Criminal Issues Initiative Joint Program
"The Future of Michigan's Public Defense System: Free Fall, Free-for-All, or Fixed—Once and for All"
Friday, September 19, 2008
10:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. (noon), Hyatt Regency Dearborn
This program is offered on the heels of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association report, which concludes that Michigan fails to provide adequate legal counsel as mandated by the Constitution. Join stakeholders in discussing the future of how public defense services are delivered in Michigan. Formally meet the Campaign for Justice!
Moderator: Judge Cynthia D. Stephens, 3rd Circuit Court, Co-chair of the Committee on Justice Initiatives.
Panelists: David Carroll, Director of Research and Evaluation, National Legal Aid and Defender Association; Elaine Nugent-Borakove, Senior Project Director, Justice Management Institute (Invited); Margaret Raben, President, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan; Ronald J. Schafer, Prosecuting Attorney, Ionia County Prosecutor's Office representing the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan; David A. Moran, Founder, Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan
For more information, or to register, visit the State Bar website.
Click here to read the National Legal Aid and Defender Association's evaluation of trial-level indigent defense systems in Michigan, "A Race to the Bottom: Speed & Savings Over Due Process: A Constitutional Crisis," released June 17, 2008.
Click here to view materials and a video from the 2008 Michigan Public Defense Task Force Conference.
News
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Guest opinion: Take a cue from Illinois on child defendants
Elizabeth Arnovits, Lansing State Journal, August 27, 2008
"Investing in our state's children must include those that are most vulnerable and marginalized. What kind of message do we send to our youth when a broken system throws away their rights and, often, their futures? It is imperative that we learn from the progress made in Illinois. Michigan's lawmakers should fix our failing public defense system to ensure that we provide the resources necessary to set children on the right path." More >> Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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Swift case points to weakness in public defense system
Gretchen Millich, Morning Edition on WKAR, August 19, 2008
"Michigan was the first state in the country to provide attorneys for criminal defendants who couldn't afford them. That was back in the 18-hundreds, long before the U-S Supreme Court ruled that every citizen charged with a crime has a right to a legal defense. Michigan's system hasn't changed in more than 100 years." More >> Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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State needs to raise itself from bottom
Barry Poulson, Hillsdale Daily News, August 11, 2008
"Citizens should read the report — this issue is complicated, but it is important. Americans are fair-minded. Our Constitution protects the right to counsel, and the Supreme Court interprets the 6th Amendment to mean that those charged with crime who cannot afford to pay for counsel must be provided counsel at government expense, just as the government funds all those powers arrayed against the accused..." More >> Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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Michigan indigent defense unconstitutional
Natalie Lombardo, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, July 28, 2008
"Report says 10 sample counties fail to provide adequate defense to poor, highlights glaring deficiencies in entire system." More >> Monday, July 28, 2008
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State public legal services study is credible
Nancy Diehl, letter to the editor, Detroit News, July 29, 2008
"Grand Haven attorney Joseph Legatz's letter compelled me to respond with a different perspective. I also participated in the study conducted by the National Legal Aid Defender Association and was very impressed and completely satisfied by the credible manner in which the data was collected. The result is a comprehensive and honest look at how public defense services are delivered in our state. " More >> Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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Public defense system falls short
Kristin VandenBerg, letter to the editor, Holland Sentinel, July 22, 2008
"The American criminal justice system is founded on the principle that every individual is equal under the law, no matter race, creed, gender or personal wealth. Unfortunately, we seem to have slowly lost our way here in Michigan, where a defendant’s financial status now directly impacts the quality of his legal representation." More >> Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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