The Michigan Supreme Court has appointed Karl A. Barr as a commissioner-at-large of the State Bar of Michigan Board of Commissioners. He will serve in this capacity for a three-year term that commenced Sept. 19, 2025.

Judge Barr was elected to the bench in 2022 and currently presides at the 14A-2 District Court in Ypsilanti, handling misdemeanor criminal cases, felony preliminary examinations, landlord tenant first hearings, and general civic cases.

After graduating from Michigan State University College of Law, Barr worked in the tax department of Plante and Moran LLC before moving on to Barr, Anhut and Associates PC, where his practice areas included municipal law; real estate, trusts, and estates; criminal prosecution; and civil litigation.

Barr is the founder of the Administrative Hearings Bureau, which works to address blight in the city of Ypsilanti and is part of the Gateway Committee to clear criminal activity from Harriett Street. He also serves as an advisor to the Community Benefits Ordinance Committees.

Purdue opioid settlement local government
sign-on deadline extended to October 30

The deadline for eligible municipalities to participate in the $7.4 billion Purdue Pharma National Opioid Settlement has been extended to October 30. The extension will give additional time to local governments in Michigan to sign on to receive direct payments. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is encouraging municipalities that have not yet joined the settlement to complete their participation forms by the deadline. Michigan governments stand to receive up to $154 million over the next 15 years, which is dependent, in part, on the participation of local governments. 

In June, Nessel announced that all 55 attorneys general agreed to sign on to the Purdue settlement, resolving litigation against Purdue and its owners, the Sackler family, for their role in creating and worsening the opioid crisis. The settlement allows 279 local units of government in Michigan – called subdivisions in the settlement agreement – to participate. 

The Department of Attorney General has a full list of eligible subdivisions on its website (www.michigan.gov/ag/initiatives/opioids/settlements-eligible-subdivisions-list).

If subdivisions need assistance with their participation forms, they can email the Department for additional instructions before the deadline at AG-OpioidLitigation@michigan.gov.

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