Law Blog

The official word is “retirement”. Tell that to his law clerk, seen recently busting down the corridor of the Oakland Circuit Courthouse at a brisk clip, no time to talk; or to the attorneys of record on an aging civil case, hanging around the docket, but now re-assigned to the new “visiting judge”.

Has the time come for drivers to give-up cell phones while operating their vehicles? In Michigan, more municipalities and jurisdictions are saying, “maybe”. The cell phone lobby, however, says, “not yet”, and continues to block state-wide cell phone bans.

Jessica Cooper has demonstrated a top-down command structure since taking over the prosecutor’s office in January. One of the commands from the top is that first-time drunk drivers are no longer offered the customary plea reduction to operating while “impaired”.

State Senator Ron Jelinek (R – Berrien County) has introduced a bill in Lansing to abolish adultery as a crime. The bill, which has a companion in the Michigan House, has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Until recently, the probate code, known as EPIC, had a forefiture provision which provided that any beneficiary under a will that killed the grantor, was automatically disinherited.

The Michigan House of Representatives introduced a trio of bills which will require judgments of divorce, orders of filiation (between non-married parents) and child support orders to omit a parent’s personal information.

The Michigan Senate is expected to pass a pair of bills designed to utilize proceeds derived from lawsuits and casino winnings, to satisfy past-due child support.

International marriages that often thrive with money, may wither as the global recession takes hold and deepens. Divorce lawyers in metro-poles such as New York City and London are noting an upswing in their international clientele.

In a highly controversial ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court, same sex couples received a green-light for marriage when a state law banning such marriages was determined unconstitutional. In a 63 page decision (the first 6-pages of which listed a series of opposing amicus groups that had legal representation in the briefing of the case), the Iowa Supreme Court held that the state law banning gay marriage violated the Equal Protection clause of the U.S. Constitution by treating same-sex couples differently than other couples without a sufficient government interest justifying the classification.

One of the most significant (and often painful) events in divorce proceedings is when a parent seeks a change of domicile; a relocation of the children beyond the 100-miles allowed by the Legislature in the Child Custody Act.