Michigan State Appellate Defender Office and Criminal Defense Resource Center

Top Stories

SADO Introduces 2019 Defender Guide to Search & Seizure in Michigan

Comprehensive Resource Now Available

The 2019 Defender Guide to Search & Seizure in Michigan is the latest addition to SADO’s collection of defender resources. The Guide offers a comprehensive resource for Michigan state court practice in the area of search and seizure law. The Guide contains case annotations, practice pointers, critical questions for inquiry, and analysis of emerging issues such as the “property rights” theory of governmental intrusion, all aimed at helping defenders to spot issues, file motions, preserve errors, and obtain outcomes. Read More

SADO's Project Reentry Presents the Life Mapping Workshop

Sunday, September 22, 2019 2pm at SADO Detroit

Join SADO's Project Reentry for a Life Mapping workshop led by Anna Kohn, nonprofit manager of the reentry organization, Recovery Park. Formerly incarcerated individuals will acquire tools to successfully make decisions and set personal and professional goals for the future. Read More

SADO Seeks Mitigation Specialist

Apply by August 26, 2019

SADO expects openings for Mitigation Specialists in two units. The Direct Appeals Unit represents individuals who appeal their felony convictions and sentences. Appellate relief often requires SADO attorneys to return to the trial court to advocate for clients at resentencing, with the assistance of the Mitigation Specialist. The Juvenile Lifer Unit represents individuals who were unconstitutionally sentenced to life without parole for crimes they committed as children and who are now entitled to new sentences and eligible for an opportunity for release. Read More

MAACS Accepting Roster Attorney Applications

Apply by August 30, 2019

The Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System (MAACS) is accepting applications to join the assigned counsel roster.  This is a competitive process and we encourage applications from conscientious appellate lawyers with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and those who are committed to representing indigent clients and contributing to the reform of Michigan’s indigent defense system. We welcome applications from new attorneys – as well as from more seasoned veterans. Read More

Project Reentry Publishes Newsletter for Returning Citizens

The Drum: Articles, Stories, and Resources for the JLWOP Community

The August 2019 issue of The Drum is now available. The Drum is a publication, produced by SADO’s Project Reentry, featuring articles by and for former juvenile lifers returning to the community. The Drum also identifies a wide variety of resources for returning citizens, including financial budgeting, employment opportunities, and community tips. This month’s issue features a note from Brandon Harrington (incarcerated since 1995), a citizen spotlight on Chris Machacek (came home in April), "read, watch, and listen" recommendations, art by Michael Anderson (incarcerated since 1994), and much more! Read More

2018 Excellence in Advocacy Awards Presented

Congratulations to Jacqueline McCann, Melissa Krauskopf, and Cecilia Quirindongo Baunsoe

The Michigan Appellate Defender Commission presented the 2018 Norris Thomas Award for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy to SADO Assistant Defender Jacqueline McCann for her countless and immeasurable contributions to SADO, the legal community, and to the cause of justice in Michigan over the course of her twenty-year legal career. The Commission presented the 2018 Barbara R. Levine Award for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy to MAACS’s Cecilia Quirindongo Baunsoe and Melissa Krauskopf. Law partners since 2008, Ms. Baunsoe and Ms. Krauskopf both joined the MAACS roster in 2013 and have distinguished themselves as thorough and conscientious advocates for their appointed appellate clients, handling some of the most significant appeals and trial court postconviction matters statewide. Read More

SADO Attorneys Obtain Positive Outcomes for Clients in the Michigan Supreme Court

SADO attorneys have recently obtained relief for their clients in the Michigan Supreme Court on issues including deadlocked-jury instructions, credibility vouching, and expert testimony on sexual abuse. Congratulations to Adrienne Young, Katherine Marcuz, and Doug Baker and best wishes to their clients in these cases. Read More

SADO's Juvenile Lifer Unit Secures Term of Years Sentences for Clients formerly Sentenced to Life Without Parole

Michigan's Juvenile Lifers--individuals sentenced to mandatory life without parole for offenses they committed as children age 17 years old or under--are entitled to resentencing following Montgomery v Louisiana, __ US __; (Docket No. 14-280, issued 1/25/16), and pursuant to the procedures set forth in MCL 769.25a. In July 2016, prosecutor offices around the state filed motions seeking the re-imposition of life without parole sentences for approximately 229 of Michigan's approximately 363 juvenile lifers. Resentencing hearings will take place over an expanded period of time. In these cases, the prosecution will continue to seek the re-imposition of a life sentence while defense counsel will seek the imposition of a term of years sentence, the minimum of which can be between 25 to 40 years and the maximum of which is 60 years, pursuant to MCL 769.25a. Read More

View Past Stories

Media Releases

This project was funded by the Byrne JAG grant #2010-DJ-BX-0003, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and administered by the Michigan state Police (MSP). Points of view or opinions contained within this document do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the MSP or DOJ.