Do you know an unsung hero? Nominate them for a State Bar award
Do you know a lawyer who always goes above and beyond the call of duty? A lawyer who has exhibited the highest standards of practice and commitment for the benefit of others?
The State Bar of Michigan would like you to consider nominating him or her for an Unsung Hero Award. The deadline for submitting a nomination is March 13.
The State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly gives out Unsung Hero Awards each year at the SBM Annual Meeting.
Last year’s winner, Susan Reed, believes everyone deserves quality legal defense regardless of the horrific crimes they are accused of committing. She has represented drug dealers, serial rapists, and murderers. Recently, she represented a notorious handyman-turned-alleged hitman in a very tough case since the defendant gave multiple stories to police and details of the murder have been leaked to the media. The judge said he assigned the case to Reed because he believes she does an exceptional job with clients in challenging situations. Beyond representing clients other attorneys may not want, Reed works to improve the work of all defense attorneys. A longtime active leader in the Wayne County Criminal Defense Bar, she currently serves as the organization’s president.
ABA files amicus brief with court in support of same-sex marriages
The American Bar Association Wednesday filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to rule that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex.
The ABA filed its brief in support of petitioners in two cases, DeBoer v. Snyder, and Bourke v. Beshear, in which the Supreme Court granted writs of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. These cases and two other cases from the Sixth Circuit were consolidated by the Supreme Court for review of two questions: (1) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?; and (2) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?
The ABA brief addresses only the first question, and is based on ABA policies adopted since at least 1973 that have continuously advocated for the elimination of discrimination based on sexual orientation, including discrimination in family law matters. In 2010, the ABA adopted policy specifically urging the elimination of legal barriers to same-sex marriage.
In addition to discussing these issues, the brief contains an appendix that highlights three areas in which highlights three areas in which rights are granted through marriage in the 27 states in which marriage bans are being contested in litigation, or in which they were contested through denial of certiorari by the Supreme Court. The appendix also demonstrates the importance of marriage in these states by listing the number of statutory and state constitutional provisions that reference spousal status in each state, which total more than 17,000 across the 27 states.
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