My family has been through what can only be described as the Seventh Circle of Hell in dealing with highly unconstitutional Barry County, Michigan Judge Michael Schipper.
As they say, hindsight is 20/20. These are things I wish we had known ahead of time and am sharing them for law professionals and defendants alike.
He Loves Publicity and Media Attention.
But to do this, he has to exploit people on arguably the worst day of their lives for headlines in the local newspaper. From an ethical perspective, neither should do or say anything that would impact a jury pool, a person’s right to appeal, or even comment on a case while an appeal is pending. But Schipper has, and was told by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission to stop. See the specific entry here.
He continues on in other news articles, biasing cases.
He Does Not Care About Rules Unless They Benefit Him.
Over multiple Court of Appeals cases, Schipper has made significant procedural, ethical, and constitutional errors. His behavior is abhorrent and not at all what one would expect from a judge. It’s not a one off or a mistake; He violates constitutional law over and over.
The Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct requires judges treat all people in their courtrooms with respect and uphold the law. He’s often unprofessional in the way he speaks and rude to defendants.
He Treats Barry County Residents Differently.
I’ve noticed the way he treats Barry County residents is very different from how he treats “outsiders.” By his own admission in a 2023 podcast, all of the attorneys in Hastings “get along.” But he is downright hostile to anyone who comes from outside of the county to practice.
If You Plea Bargain, Your Rights as a Person No Longer Matter to Him.
Prosecutors often strong arm people into plea bargains and require them to sign documents saying they forfeit certain rights; it DOES NOT mean you do not deserve dignity or waive every constitutional right. In multiple cases over his career, Michael Schipper has made comments that most professionals wouldn’t say, let alone put on the record. In the past, he has been in trouble with the Judicial Tenure Commission for unprofessional conduct and potentially affecting people’s cases.
Make Sure Your Lawyer is Experienced and Knows Who He’s Dealing With.
I can’t stress his enough. Your lawyer needs to be tough and be willing to stand up to Schipper, because he is the quintessential bully. Many lawyers are aware of his behavior, but some of them tip-toe around it.
He Will Misrepresent Your Case and Strong Arm You into Plea Bargains Only to Renege.
Judge Schipper has a bad habit of correcting facts correct at Sentencing. They tell elaborate tales without evidence, such as accusing someone of trying to “commit suicide by cop.”They also make plea bargains and break them.
In other cases, Judge Schipper has forced people onto tethers because they refuse to give up their right to trial. No judge should be allowed to bully people out of their constitutionally protected rights.
He Doesn’t Believe in Rehabilitation; Only Punishment.
Schipper rarely puts people through treatment or alternative court programs; in fact he will object to programs such as boot camp. Why? It’s more profitable if he can get people into the County Jail, and he gains more publicity if he throws them in prison with an outrageous upward departure. In the same 2023 podcast mentioned before, he admits to using the Jail as a means to get people “clean.” That is not treatment or rehabilitation.
He and the Barry County Prosecutor’s Office Will Pit You Spouse Against Each Other.
This is a long-used trick out of their playbook, charging the other person with crimes (or threatening to) when the truth about their behavior comes out, leaving nude pictures uncensored at the court house for all to see, pitting the couple against each other at the most stressful time in their lives to save face. It’s truly nasty stuff.
He is not Trauma-Aware Nor Trauma-Informed
He does not account for what’s happening in people’s lives to get them to the point of where they sadly and unfortunately end up in front of him.
BONUS: Case Law
Schipper has two go-to cases he uses to justify his bad habit of over-sentencing (also called upward departure). Read them and be ready.
- People v. Lockridge (read this article from SADO)
- People v. Steanhouse
In Closing
Take notes, bring court watchers, don’t let him intimidate you, and be brave. He is a bully, and bullies never ultimately win.
That was heavy. Need a laugh?
