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The MI Court of Appeals (In re Shawna Maye Galehouse, No. 326712) upheld a trial court order for the parents to reimburse the Montmorency Child Care Fund for costs of care and services for their child, Shawna.

Tweets meant to ridicule and satirize another’s social media presence in a humorous way are parody and thus protected by the First Amendment Right to Free Speech according to a recent opinion issued by the Michigan Court of Appeals (COA).

Michael Barrett, Director of the Missouri State Public Defender (MSPD) office, recently exercised his authority to “delegate the legal representation of any person to any member of the state bar of Missouri” to appoint Governor Jay Nixon to represent an indigent defendant facing incarceration and in need of representation.

Hon. Peter D. O’Connell turned to the Court of Claims seeking a writ of mandamus to force the the Director of Elections to consider his Affidavit of Candidacy for a six-year term on the Court of Appeals (COA). When the Court of Claims (COC) dismissed his complaint for want of subject-matter jurisdiction, he appealed to the Court of Appeals (Peter D. O’Connell v Director of Elections, Bureau of Elections and the Department of State. No 332132, Court of Claims, LC No. 16-000038-MB).

The Michigan Court of Appeals (COA) concluded that the equitable-parent doctrine does not extend to unmarried couples, whether heterosexual or same-sex couples. And, because the doctrine doesn’t apply, Plaintiff Michelle Lake does not have standing to seek parenting time with the child. Therefore, the COA remanded the matter back to the trial court for entry of an order granting summary disposition in the defendant’s favor. Judge Douglas B. Shapiro wrote a concurring opinion, stating the circumstances where he could see a different outcome