Gov. Snyder signs new sentencing rules for juvenile defendants
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a law changing sentencing rules for juvenile defendants convicted of murder and other serious crimes.
Legislation signed Tuesday brings Michigan into compliance with a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down mandatory life imprisonment for juveniles.
Prosecutors can still seek life sentences without parole, but they can't be mandatory on judges.
If juveniles don’t get life without parole, judges now have to sentence them to a minimum of at least 25 years and a maximum of at least 60 years.
The law doesn’t apply retroactively to more than 300 Michigan inmates under 18 when they committed their crimes.
The Michigan Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on whether those prisoners should get new sentences that could someday lead to their parole.
IP?writing competition open to all law students in Michigan
The Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan (IPLS) and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law have announced that they are co-sponsoring the fourth annual Michigan Innovation and IP Legal Writing Competition. The competition seeks to recognize outstanding original works of legal scholarship in the fields of intellectual property and innovation law. The competition is open to all law students in Michigan.
“The Intellectual Property Law Section sponsors the writing competition in hopes to encourage future IP lawyers to explore important issues relating to intellectual property in greater depth,” said Adam Strauss, IPLS chair. “We hope to encourage law students throughout the state to engage in legal scholarship in intellectual property and related areas of the law, such as patent, trademark, copyright, social media, emerging technologies, and privacy law.”
The competition is open to J.D. degree students enrolled at any ABA-accredited Michigan law school from May 1, 2013 - May 1, 2014. Individuals interested in enrolling in the competition must submit entries to adam.strauss@stryker.com by May 15. The official entry form and rules are available at michbar.org/ip/calendar.cfm.
Cash prizes being awarded include: first place, $500; second place, $300 and third place $200. In addition, each of the top three will have their work published in the IPLS Proceedings journal and receive their choice of complimentary registration for an IPLS intellectual property seminar or symposium.
“Cooley is pleased to co-sponsor this competition,” said Professor David C. Berry, co-director of Cooley’s graduate IP program. “As the area of Intellectual Property Law grows, it is important to recognize law students who have conducted original research in this field and we must also emphasize the importance of IP Law to our state’s economic competitiveness.”
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