Supreme Court declines Michigan sex offender registry case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s ruling that said significant changes to Michigan’s sex offender registry law could not be applied retroactively.
Michigan asked the high court to take up the issue after a 2016 federal appeals court ruling, but the Supreme Court declined in an order Monday. The appeals court said that retroactively applying the changes to people already on the list would unconstitutionally increase punishments after offenders’ convictions.
Michigan said it changed its law in response to a 2006 federal law that sets minimum standards for registries. States that fail to follow those minimum standards can lose federal law-enforcement funds.
Michigan argued that the case was important to all states trying to comply with federal law.
Supreme Court declines emergency manager law case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won’t take up a challenge to a Michigan law that allows the state to temporarily take away local officials’ authority during financial crises and appoint an emergency manager.
The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear the case. Voters and elected officials were challenging a state law that says that to rescue financially stressed cities and school districts the state can reassign the governing powers of local officials to a state-appointed emergency manager. An emergency manager was in place during the water crisis in Flint.
Those bringing the lawsuit said emergency managers have been appointed in a high number of areas with large African-American populations but not in similar areas with majority white populations.
Lower courts said lawsuit was brought under a federal law that didn’t apply.
Teen charged in 2016 slaying to avoid no-parole sentence
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A plea agreement is expected to allow a teenager to avoid a no-parole sentence in the strangulation death of his 18-year-old half-sister in western Michigan.
Seventeen-year-old Savon Schmus pleaded guilty Monday to a murder charge and prosecutors will recommend a minimum sentence of 30-40 years. He’d earlier been charged as an adult with open murder and faced life in prison without parole. Sentencing is Oct. 30.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker says the decision was based on U.S. Supreme Court decisions about mandatory no-parole sentences for juveniles.
A person walking a dog found McKenna Hilton’s body Aug. 18, 2016, in a wooded area near Emerald Lake in Grand Rapids Township.
Schmus and Hilton shared the same father. Police believe Hilton was strangled by the then-16-year-old Schmus in their father’s apartment.
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