Daily Briefs . . .

 Michigan Supreme Court edits opinion in parole dispute 

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has changed the last sentence of a June opinion, an edit that could lead to the release of a prison inmate in an unusual case about the powers of governors.

Three months ago, the court said Gov. Jennifer Granholm illegally reversed a decision that had lifted Matthew Makowski’s no-parole sentence in 2010. But the parole board still won’t release him.
 
In an order this week, the Supreme Court removed words from the earlier opinion that had been interpreted as limiting the parole board’s options.

Lawyer Paul Reingold says Makowski should be sent home like any other inmate whose sentence has been commuted by a governor.

Makowski was convicted of first-degree murder for arranging a robbery that turned into a fatal stabbing in 1988. He wasn’t present.
 

Michigan Supreme Court suspends Judge Sanders without pay

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit judge has been suspended without pay by the Michigan Supreme Court.
 
The court says Brenda Sanders didn’t follow its June order to cooperate with an independent medical exam. Sanders’ mental health and ability to do her job is being challenged by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, which wants her removed from office.

Sanders is a judge at Detroit’s 36th District Court. She has been on medical leave for months, but her attorney says Sanders shouldn't lose her job.

The suspension by the Supreme Court was ordered Wednesday.
 

Ex-Gov. Milliken backs Democrat Mark Totten for attorney general 

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Former Republican Gov. William Milliken is backing Democrat Mark Totten for state attorney general, saying the Michigan State University associate law professor's experience makes him “highly qualified” for the office.
 
Milliken says in a Thursday statement that Totten would protect consumers and the environment and advocate for “badly needed ethics reform in government.” Totten’s running against Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette.
The 92-year-old Milliken served as governor from 1969 through 1982. He’s endorsed Democrats over the years, including Gary Peters in this year’s U.S. Senate race. He’s also endorsed Republican Gov. Rick Snyder’s re-election bid.

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