Daily Briefs . . .

Gov. Snyder signs measure opening door for raising judges’ pay


LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation that opens the door for raising Michigan judges’ pay after 15 years of stagnant judicial salaries.

Judges’ salaries haven’t increased because their pay is currently tied to Supreme Court justices, who haven’t seen a raise in years. Snyder’s office says the measure signed Tuesday would allow regular salary evaluations for trial court and Court of Appeals judges.

The change won’t affect Supreme Court justices’ pay.

Bill sponsor and Republican Senator Rick Jones of Grand Ledge has said the legislation removes political jockeying from the process.

Also Tuesday, Snyder signed legislation to establish an online reporting system for child abuse and neglect cases. And he signed bills designed to make it easier to track continuing education requirements needed for most state professional licenses online.

 

Dispute ends over Detroit-area judge's pay-or-stay sentences
 

DETROIT (AP) — A suburban Detroit judge accused of sending poor people to jail if they couldn’t immediately pay fines has agreed to end pay-or-stay sentences after a challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union.

An attorney for Eastpointe Judge Carl Gerds III signed the agreement, which was approved Tuesday by a Macomb County judge.

The ACLU of Michigan says there’s no dispute that sending someone to jail without checking their ability to pay is unconstitutional. Nonetheless, it still has occurred in courts around the state.

The Michigan Supreme Court is considering a rule to strengthen the ban.

Gerds’ attorney has said the judge may have made mistakes but now accepts payment plans. The ACLU represented a woman who feared going to jail for failing to have her dogs licensed.

 

Detroit Mercy Law McElroy Lecture  on Law and Religion


University of Detroit Mercy School of Law will host its 18th McElroy Lecture on Law and Religion at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 16 in Room 226 on the Detroit Mercy Law campus, 651 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit. This year’s topic is “Religious Exemptions in Same-Sex Marriages.” Professor Kent Greenawalt of Columbia Law School is the lecturer. He will be joined by two commentators: Andrew M. Koppelman, the Johm Paul Stevens Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University; and Michael P. Moreland, a Professor at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and Concurrent Professor at University of Notre Dame Law School. The lecture is complimentary and open to the public. Parking is provided nearby at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in the parking garage at 611 Congress Street. For additional details and to register online, visit www.law.udmercyedu.

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