All political power is inherent in the people.
Michigan Const. 1963, Art. I, § 1, Eff. Jan. 1, 1964
Every once in a while, I am reminded that I am not crazy and that there is a very big court accountability issue in Michigan.
Tonight, I attended the Voters Not Politicians Ethics and Transparency Meeting, and was introduced to some truly amazing work being done to ensure accountability and transparency here in Michigan.
For the first time in a long time, I feel hopeful that change is possible. I have met people just as committed to rolling up their sleeves, and getting to work on eliminating the ethical blackhole in Michigan. I spent a long time angry, confused, and feeling utterly lied to after the events of the last two years, wondering, “how did we as a state, a country even, get here?”
But now? Something amazing is on the pipeline.
I am over-the-moon excited to share the work being done by Samantha Hallman, Ph.D., researcher and instructor at University of Michigan.
On January 17, 2025, at the 29th annual conference for the Society for Social Work and Research, she’ll be presenting her findings on Michigan Court Recordings and the lack of transparency in the system.
Some Michigan judges and prosecutors can be downright unprofessional, unconstitutional, and retaliatory.
The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission and many other government oversight organizations meant to safeguard Michigan citizens are effectively useless when it comes to holding bad actors accountable.
Gaining access to video or audio recordings to prove judicial or prosecutorial misconduct is next to impossible.
If you’ve been around for a bit, you may recall Barry County Judge Michael Schipper outright refused to provide recordings where he and an Assistant Prosecutor verbally attacked me and countless others.
Demanding accountability from elected officials shouldn’t be painful. It should not cost someone everything. It should be a requirement for judges and prosecutors to behave ethically, rather than hide and do whatever it takes to cover-up their mistakes.
But Judge Schipper is not the only one blocking access to these records; 58% of Michigan Courts refuse public access to audio and video recordings.
I loudly and lovingly applaud Judges like Allegan County’s William Baillargeon (and his fantastic bowties), who upload their videos to Youtube, ensuring accountability, transparency, and allowing more people to see what’s happening in the judiciary.
Dr. Hallman’s work ends with a call to action, asking social workers to advocate for this policy to be adopted not just in Michigan, but in states that forbid access to records that prove Judicial and Prosecutorial Misconduct.
Check out Dr. Hallman’s work here.
I am so proud to announce that I will be supporting Voters not Politicians in driving this important measure for transparency and accountability forward, and I encourage you all to do the same.
This is especially exciting timing as I made contact with a state lawmaker interested in my testimony regarding Michigan government misconduct and retaliation.
Join us at the next virtual meeting on January 23, 2025, where Campaign Finance Policy Reform will be the next topic for discussion.
