Breaking News: Landmark ruling gives hope to youth sentenced to mandatory life

People v Taylor & People v Czarnecki, decided April 10, 2025

Today, Michigan joined a handful of states that recognize that young people have the capacity to change and should have the opportunity for freedom.   Read more


Breaking News: Michigan Supreme Court upholds retroactivity of ruling that mandatory life-without-parole sentencing for 18-year-olds is unconstitutional

People v Poole (MSC No. 166813), decided April 1, 2025

The State Appellate Defender Office celebrates today’s outcome for our client John Antonio Poole. Mr. Poole was sentenced to mandatory life without the possibility of parole for a crime that occurred when he was an 18-year old child.  Read more


SADO’s Project Reentry Presents From Land Bank to Home

Articles, Stories, and Resources for the JLWOP Community

Please join SADO's Project Reentry for their April workshop as they present From Land Bank to Home with special guest Aschleey Pratt on Monday, April 28, 2025.   Read more


Sentencing trends, patterns and news

From the March 2025 Criminal Defense Newsletter

The past several months have brought about some surprising decisions and a few that were not completely unexpected. Let’s take a look at the patterns, trends and some hold-your-hat news. Read more


Safe & Just Michigan

From the March 2025 Criminal Defense Newsletter

Amidst the chaos engulfing Washington, D.C., and the unrelenting national news cycle, it can be easy to forget that there are many things we can do closer to home to improve lives and our collective future.  Read more


Big billing news for the Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System

From the March 2025 Criminal Defense Newsletter

Thanks to the hard work of the MAACS Staff, the Appellate Defender Commission adopted a new Attorney Fee and Reimbursement Policy, effective March 18, 2025.  Read more


Beyond negligence: The reckless intent requirement and the invalidity of MCL 750.543M

From the March 2025 Criminal Defense Newsletter

In People v Kvasnicka, __ Mich App __ (2025) (Docket No. 371542), the Michigan Court of Appeals held that MCL 750.543m, the statute that defines the twenty-year felony commonly referred to as “terroristic threats,” is facially unconstitutional, and therefore, unenforceable.  Read more


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