Judge rules fired parole board members have no claim over jobs

TROY (AP) - A judge has ruled in favor of Gov. Rick Snyder's administration in a lawsuit related to the firing of six members of the Michigan parole board.

They were appointees of former Gov. Jennifer Granholm and said they still had a few years remaining on their contracts when they were dismissed in 2011. Snyder had reduced the parole board to 10 members and made other changes.

In an April 2 decision, Court of Claims Judge Pat Donofrio says a governor's power to reorganize a department can't be trumped in the case.

Attorney Sarah Prescott says the decision is a "miscarriage of justice." She says the former parole board members had valid contracts but weren't compensated for losing their jobs.

Prescott says she will appeal.

Published: Tue, Apr 21, 2015