Category Archives: For Your Information

After state concealed weapon laws were relaxed in 2001, many citizens, especially in West Michigan, are embroiled in a debate regarding the appropriate places that permit-holding gun holders may bring their weapons.

Due to poor budgeting and limited financial means, poorer defendants are barred from getting an effective Michigan criminal defense attorney, also ultimately hindering their chances of receiving a fair trial. New legislation looks to re-appropriate funding and establish an Office of Public Defense to quickly fix the lagging system.

Despite being a dedicated employee of five years, medical marijuana patient Joseph Casias, 30, was fired from Wal-Mart after a drug-test registered positive for marijuana. Under violation of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, Casias is now suing the corporation in order to retrieve his old job and receive compensation for economic losses.

According to the Second Amendment, Americans have the right to hold and bear arms for self-defense. In a recent decision from the U.S Supreme Court, this right was closely guarded, after it was ruled that the Second Amendment protections extend to the states and local law in addition to federal law.

One of the main responsibilities that police officers have is to serve as watchmen, keeping the state safe from any dangerous activity while promoting public safety. However, the public must ask the ultimate questions: if law enforcement officials are watching us, then who is keeping an eye on them?

After returning from working overseas, Glenn Shriver applied for a position with the Central Intelligence Agency. However, he was arrested afterward by law enforcement officials after the government alleged that he either denied or omitted information that he had meetings with Chinese intelligence officers, accepting $70,000 in cash. Providing false information to a federal agent is considered a felony, and if convicted Shriver could face serious consequences including jail time.

This November, Michigan voters will be able to decide whether individuals convicted of certain felonies should be banned serving in public office for an extended period of time. While supporters of the measure believe that the proposal will set standards for officeholders, it also could potentially prevent reformed individuals from using their past experience to make positive future changes.

Although former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is currently serving jail time in a state prison after a 2008 criminal case, the federal government recently indicted him on 19 additional charges including tax fraud. If convicted of these crimes, Kilpatrick could spend decades behind bars.

In 2002, a black man was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to serve between 12 and 35 years behind bars as a result. However, the Michigan Court of Appeals have since awarded him a new trial because not one person in the 42-member jury is African American–ultimately protecting his constitutional right to a trial by jury of peers.

In a new ruling handed down by the Michigan Court of Appeals, it is possible for a defendants under the jurisdiction of the Court be placed on the Sex Offender Registry retroactively. As long as the convict is on probation, the prosecution can request to have he or she placed on the registry at anytime. However, the law also allows defendants to be placed on the registry for crimes against minors, which are not generally considered sexual offenses by nature.