The Michigan Supreme Court brings its “Court Community Connections” program to Macomb County this week.
As part of the program, students from high schools across the county study a selected case with attorney mentors, attend oral argument, participate in debriefing sessions with counsel for parties and meet the justices.
The event will be held Wednesday, Oct. 22 at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts Auditorium on the campus of Macomb Community College in Clinton Township.
To date, more than 4,000 high school students have had front-row seats to study and observe Michigan’s highest court.
Oral arguments this week will be heard in the case of the State of Michigan v Shawquanda Borom.
Prior to oral arguments, Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr. and Justice David F. Viviano, a resident of Macomb County, will meet with government classes at Chippewa High School.
The program was created to enhance students’ awareness and understanding of Michigan’s judicial system and the importance of the rule of law.
Participating schools include the Academy for International Studies, Anchor Bay, Armada, Arts Academy in the Woods, Center Line, Chippewa Valley, Cousino, Dakota, DeLaSalle, East Detroit, Fitzgerald and Fraser.
Others are the International Academy of Macomb, Lake Shore, L’Anse Creuse, L’Anse Creuse North, Lincoln, Lutheran North, Merritt Academy, Mt. Clemens, Richmond, Romeo, Roseville, South Lake, Stevenson, Warren Mott and Warren Woods Tower
In the case before the court, Borom, 21, was charged with felony-murder and first-degree child abuse in the death of her 16-month-old son, Davion, who suffered burns and broken bones, court
records show, and died of massive head injuries.
According to court documents, numerous conflicting statements existed regarding how the injuries occurred, who was with Davion at the time, and whether Borom and boyfriend Daniel McCullough hesitated before seeking help or completely failed to seek medical assistance for the child.
The defense filed a motion to quash the charges and the case went before the Supreme Court after the circuit court judge denied the motion, and the Court of Appeals agreed.
The high court sent the case back to the appellate panel which affirmed the trial court’s ruling that the district court did not abuse its discretion in binding over defendant for trial.
In its opinion, the Court of Appeals held that a parent has a common law duty to prevent injury to his or her child, and that a parent who fails to act according to that legal duty can be guilty of aiding and abetting first-degree child abuse, even if that parent provided no other form of assistance to the person who abused their child.
In light of the evidence in this case, the Court of Appeals concluded the district court did not abuse its discretion in binding over defendant for trial, because there was probable cause to believe that
defendant committed first-degree child abuse herself, or aided and abetted in the commission of first-degree child abuse.
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