Barry County Judge Michael Schipper’s Bond-as-Leverage Pattern Shows Up Again in a Docket, Not Just a Complaint
A Barry County criminal docket shows the same sequence Clutch Justice has documented before under Judge Michael Schipper. This piece…
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.
Lizzie Borden’s Judge Owed His Seat to Her Own Defense Attorney
The rhyme made her infamous. The trial record shows something the folklore skips entirely: a presiding justice who owed his…
Barry County Prosecutor’s Office Built a Practice of Inherited Liability. Nobody There Has Checked the Files.
Analysis Julie Nakfoor Pratt and Christopher Elsworth withheld what their successors needed to know about MSP Sgt. Bryan Fuller. Alexandra…
Get Ready: The 2026 Clutch Blanket Mystery Opens August 1
Twenty-eight days out. Time to find your hooks, sort your yarn, and clear a shelf for the case file, because…
Clutch Justice Weekly 015: Barry County’s Decade Without Brady Disclosure
The Clutch Justice Weekly briefing for Issue 015: a decade-long disclosure gap in Barry County, a new Michigan Judicial Tenure…
Michigan’s Worst Prosecutors No. 04: Dennis Doherty and the Immunity Machine
InvestigativeMichigan’s Worst Prosecutors No. 04 Michigan’s Worst Prosecutors No. 04: Dennis Doherty and the Immunity Machine Michigan’s Worst Prosecutors Series…
The Vega & Johnsen Network, Part 3: What $81,690 Bought While the Sullivan Family Got Nothing
Nine years ago a nineteen year old walking home from his McDonald’s shift was hit by a Corvette and left…
Barry County Citizens Should Talk to Commissioner Jon Smelker About Conviction Integrity. Here’s How.
Barry County residents do not need to start with outrage. They can start with a specific public ask: put conviction…
Hastings Just Upheld Another FOIA Block. Barry County’s Evidence Problem Is No Longer Theoretical.
A May 11 Hastings FOIA appeal vote did not happen in a vacuum. It landed on top of months of…
The Striped Notebook Cover: A Clutch Justice Crochet Pattern
Direct Answer This is a free crochet pattern for the black and white striped notebook cover that appears in every…
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