Judge censured; called prosecutors ‘fool’ and ‘cancer’
JACKSON, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court says a Jackson County judge was irresponsible for communicating privately with prosecutors in disputed cases and then vilifying prosecutors when they informed defense counsel.
In 2017, Judge Joe Filip sought briefing by lawyers on key issues in a few cases, a common practice in any court. But Filip also emailed prosecutors and suggested they look at certain appeals court decisions as they prepared their briefs for him.
The judge didn’t tell defense lawyers what he had done.
Filip held a hearing after prosecutors informed the defense. He called one prosecutor a “fool” and another a “cancer.”
In an order Friday, the Supreme Court censured the judge for misconduct. Filip had no objection. His conduct reached the court after an investigation by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission.
Michigan residents warned about health care data breach
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents potentially affected by a health care data breach are being urged to take extra precautions about their personal information.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Department of Insurance and Financial Services Director Anita Fox on Monday issued a warning about the breach involving Detroit-based Wolverine Solutions Group.
The breach was discovered last year. Information of more than 600,000 in Michigan may have been affected, including customers of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan, McLaren Health Care, Three
Rivers Health and North Ottawa Community Health System.
Wolverine Solutions Group says it mailed letters to all impacted individuals. The company says compromised information could include names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, insurance contract information and numbers, phone numbers and medical information.
Whitmer appointees are confirmed after 60-day window passes
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Cabinet is now officially in place after Michigan lawmakers let her appointees stand confirmed.
The Senate had a 60-day window in which to reject the Democrat’s choices to lead various state departments and offices. The deadline passed Sunday for 11 appointees. The window for another appointee expires Monday.
A Republican-led Senate committee held advice-and-consent hearings on Whitmer’s picks.
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