An order holding an attorney in criminal contempt must be reversed, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled, finding that the attorney’s due process rights were violated and there was insufficient evidence to support the charges.

The trial court’s order denying the plaintiff-father’s motion to remove the lawyer-guardian ad litem (L-GAL) from this custody case is reversed and the matter is remanded for an evidentiary hearing.

A trial court judge did not have to disqualify himself from the defendant’s criminal case even though the judge had publicly endorsed the prosecutor in a Circuit Court election campaign.