SADO is hiring Assistant Defenders

Apply by August 7, 2026

Join Michigan’s State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) as an Assistant Defender in the Juvenile Lifer Unit (JLU)! The Juvenile Lifer Unit advocates for people who are serving unconstitutionally cruel and unusual life without parole sentences for crimes committed as youth. Read more


Registration is open for the 2026 Appellate Writing Workshop

September 30 - October 2, 2026 in Detroit

MAACS Roster Attorneys and SADO Assistant Defenders are invited to register for the Appellate Writing Workshop (AWW), an in-person, 3-day writing workshop specifically designed for criminal appellate attorneys. Read more


Project Reentry's End of Summer Gathering

September 20, 2026 | 12-3pm

Please join us as we come together to celebrate our community’s growth as we wrap up the summer season with our End of Summer Gathering. Formerly incarcerated individuals, their families, and reentry community partners are all welcome. Read more


SADO's Michael Mittlestat works with UM clinical law students to secure new trial

University of Michigan Law School | July 2026

The Michigan Court of Appeals recently reversed the trial court’s judgment in a felony murder case, agreeing with the defense on two issues briefed by student-attorneys from the University of Michigan Law School's Criminal Appellate Practice (CAP) Clinic. Read more


Sentencing guidelines objections at probation violation sentencings

Criminal Defense Newsletter | July 2026

Last fall, in People v Carey, Justice Noah Hood wrote a concurring statement in an order denying leave to appeal, and two other justices joined that statement (Justices Bolden and Thomas). Read more


Project Reentry: The role of technical literacy in Reentry

Criminal Defense Newsletter | July 2026

Love it or hate it, technological literacy is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the reentry journey. Adjusting to life on the outside is already complicated – imagine that readjustment in a world where in-person conversations can be obsolete and where eye contact is mostly with a screen. Read more


Ask an appellate attorney: Whose defense is it anyways?

Criminal Defense Newsletter | July 2026

Earlier this month in People v Klungle, __ Mich __ (2026) (Docket No. 168010), the Supreme Court vacated the defendant’s convictions after it concluded that his right to maintain innocence had been infringed by his trial attorney’s argument. Read more


Safe & Just Michigan

Criminal Defense Newsletter | June 2026

Each year as summer warms up, legislators in Lansing start to turn their attention to their home districts. Lawmakers reduce their session schedule in summer months, and elected officials return home to meet with constituents. Read more


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