Daily Briefs

U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal over Rosa Parks coat


DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a dispute over a coat that belonged to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.

The court rejected an appeal Monday. A lawyer for the trustee of Parks’ estate says relatives reneged on a deal to turn over a wool coat that Parks wore when she was arrested on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus in 1955. But a niece insists she doesn’t have the coat.

Steven Cohen turned to the Supreme Court after exhausting appeals in Michigan courts. Despite the loss, he predicts the “controversy will continue.”

In 2014, the foundation of philanthropist Howard Buffett purchased hundreds of Parks’ personal belongings for $4.5 million, without the coat. Cohen says Buffett subsequently donated them to the Library of Congress. Parks died in 2005.

 

New resource available for those helping vets in Michigan’s courts
 

On May 16, WMU-Cooley Law School, the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) and the Michigan Supreme Court’s State Court Administrative Office will introduce a new resource available to mentors and mentor coordinators working with veterans assigned to the state’s Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC).

“Veterans Treatment Courts in Michigan: A Manual for Mentors and Mentor Coordinators” is a compilation of best practices used by mentors to address the needs of veterans  who are on a  journey to recovery from addiction, serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders after being confronted with non-violent criminal charges.

In 2013, the Michigan Legislature created a broad set of standards allowing local courts to establish VTCs as alternatives for veterans accused of certain crimes. Currently, Michigan leads the nation with 22 VTCs. A key component of the VTC program is the mentor program where veteran mentors provide peer-to-peer support to veteran participants.

More information about Veterans Treatment Courts and the manual can be found at www. courts.mi.gov/vetcourt.

 

Ex-Michigan trooper gets prison for teen’s Taser crash death
 

DETROIT (AP) — A former Michigan state trooper was sentenced to at least five years in prison Monday for causing the death of a Detroit teen who crashed an all-terrain vehicle after he was shot with a Taser.

Judge Margaret Van Houten said Mark Bessner, a lawyer and experienced officer, used poor judgment when he fired the immobilizing device from the passenger seat of a moving patrol car. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after a second trial in April.

“You abused the public’s trust. ... It is the few officers like you who have caused the distrust of police officers that plagues our community in Detroit, the state of Michigan and throughout the country,” the judge said.

The maximum penalty is 15 years in prison, but Bessner will be eligible for parole after five. He quit the state police after the August 2017 incident.

––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available