What It Means to Have Standing in a Legal Case
What is legal standing? Standing is a threshold requirement that determines who is permitted to bring a case or seek…
Rita Williams
Rita Williams is a Michigan-based judicial oversight analyst and founder of Clutch Justice, an investigative platform focused on court system accountability, sentencing integrity, and SCAO policy. Her work examines how courts, policies, and administrative systems operate in practice, with a focus on where process breaks down and harm is created. Drawing on lived experience and systems-level analysis, she writes to make legal structures more readable, expose institutional gaps, and advocate for reforms grounded in both evidence and human impact. Rita’s writing bridges legal analysis, institutional critique, and public education, with a consistent focus on accountability without losing sight of the people most affected by the justice system.
Why Only Half of Murders Are Solved in America: A Data-Driven Look at Clearance Rates
National homicide clearance rates have declined from above 90% in the 1960s to roughly 50% today. According to FBI Uniform…
You Can’t Mourn the Decline of Marriage and Cheer “Tough on Crime” at the Same Time
Key Points Structural Incarceration is not an individual consequence. It removes parents, drains household income, and fractures caregiving networks. These…
Casey Wagner Probable Cause Hearing Delayed Until Next Week | Rita Williams
The probable cause hearing for former Michigan Department of Corrections officer Casey Wagner was cancelled the day of the proceeding…
Why Judges Don’t Take Pro Se Litigants Seriously — Even When They’re Prepared
Self-represented litigants face structural disadvantages in court that persist even when they are well-prepared and legally grounded. Research shows pro…
Yale Law Journal Study: The Lawyer Matters More Than the System Admits
A randomized study published in the Yale Law Journal found that defendants in Philadelphia murder cases represented by public defenders…
Michigan Prison Arsenal Failures Revisited After Casey Wagner Theft Case | Rita Williams
In March 2024, the Michigan Office of the Auditor General released a report identifying significant inventory control failures in weapons…
Barry County Sheriff FOIA Response Raises New Questions in Probation Oversight Failure
A public records request submitted to the Barry County Sheriff’s Office — seeking police reports connected to an alleged probation…
Will People v. Williams Become Michigan Case Law? Understanding Oral Argument and Appellate Precedent
People v. Williams is moving toward oral argument at the Michigan Court of Appeals following a Supreme Court remand. Attorneys…
When the Timeline Doesn’t Work: The Fish Hatchery Parking Lot Theory in the Dean Myers Case
The Fish Hatchery parking lot was presented at trial as the functional crime scene in the Dean Myers case. A…
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