SADO seeks summer interns

Applications are due by 1/15/2027 at 5pm

The Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) seeks first- and second- year law students committed to public defense, racial equity, and social justice to join our Direct Appeals Unit, Juvenile Lifer Unit (JLU), Criminal Defense Resource Center (CDRC), or Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System (MAACS) summer internship programs. Read more


SADO's Project Reentry earns the Liberty Bell Award!

From the Ingham County Bar Association

Congratulations to SADO's Project Reentry team — Alexis, Anna, Lorenzo, and Marcus — for receiving the 2026 Liberty Bell Award from the Ingham County Bar Association! This award recognizes outstanding service performed by a non-lawyer citizen who has given time and energy to strengthen the effectiveness of the American system of justice. Read more


Improper uses of artificial intelligence at sentencing

Criminal Defense Newsletter | October 2026

A popular area of discussion in the legal profession right now is how to avoid the improper use of artificial intelligence (AI). When it comes to sentencing, guidance can be found from an Arizona case and a federal judge, and our own good sense as well. Read more


Safe & Just Michigan

Criminal Defense Newsletter | October 2026

Michigan’s health care job crisis is one step closer to being solved with the introduction of House Bills 6399-6402, a package of common-sense legislation that will make it possible for thousands of Michiganders to seek employment in the health care industry like hospitals and nursing homes. Read more


What your client says can deport them: Matter of Mendez Maldonado and the end of the immigration safe plea?

Criminal Defense Newsletter | October 2026

On September 22, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued Matter of Mendez Maldonado, a precedential decision that quietly removes one of the oldest protections in immigration law. The Board held that a noncitizen's voluntary admission of drug possession, without any conviction, makes the person inadmissible to the United States. Read more


Project Reentry: Who deserves to be fought for

Criminal Defense Newsletter | October 2026

With Michigan’s juvenile lifers at the center of ongoing resentencing proceedings, these cases are unfolding during a particularly politically charged time. Conversations about accountability, rehabilitation, public safety, and second chances can quickly become divided, with opinions often shaped by politics and public perception as well as the individual circumstances of each case. Read more


A quick SORA update for trial attorneys

Criminal Defense Newsletter | September 2026

Earlier this month, in People v Smith, the Supreme Court held that the current version of the Sex Offenders Registration Act (SORA), MCL 28.721 et seq., is criminal punishment that, when applied to certain registrants, violates the Ex Post Facto Clauses of the federal and state constitutions. Read more


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