Law Blog

Is there any privacy among partners in a marriage; among parties to a divorce proceeding? In this web 2.0 era, some people are their own worst enemies.

State Senator Ron Jelinek (R – Berrien County) has introduced a bill in Lansing to abolish adultery as a crime. The bill, which has a companion in the Michigan House, has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Michigan Legislature long-ago codified the rules of divorce in the Child Custody Act. One of the provisions in the Act addresses when one parent proposes to move:

Jessica Cooper has demonstrated a top-down command structure since taking over the prosecutor’s office in January. One of the commands from the top is that first-time drunk drivers are no longer offered the customary plea reduction to operating while “impaired”.

The official word is “retirement”. Tell that to his law clerk, seen recently busting down the corridor of the Oakland Circuit Courthouse at a brisk clip, no time to talk; or to the attorneys of record on an aging civil case, hanging around the docket, but now re-assigned to the new “visiting judge”.

Has the time come for drivers to give-up cell phones while operating their vehicles? In Michigan, more municipalities and jurisdictions are saying, “maybe”. The cell phone lobby, however, says, “not yet”, and continues to block state-wide cell phone bans.

The Michigan House of Representatives introduced a trio of bills which will require judgments of divorce, orders of filiation (between non-married parents) and child support orders to omit a parent’s personal information.

Until recently, the probate code, known as EPIC, had a forefiture provision which provided that any beneficiary under a will that killed the grantor, was automatically disinherited.

The Michigan Senate is expected to pass a pair of bills designed to utilize proceeds derived from lawsuits and casino winnings, to satisfy past-due child support.

International marriages that often thrive with money, may wither as the global recession takes hold and deepens. Divorce lawyers in metro-poles such as New York City and London are noting an upswing in their international clientele.