Desperation breeds desperate behavior The Michigan Board of State Canvassers has cancelled a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, June 26th. I confirmed this with a phone call to the Elections Bureau this afternoon. Additionally, Republican Board member Jeff Timmer is rumored to have resigned and it is believed that the other Republican, Norm Shinkle, will resign as well, leaving the […]

When you’ve lost the conservative press, you’ve lost

The Livingston County Press & Argus editorial page is not known for being part of the so-called “Liberal Media”. Quite the opposite, in fact. So, their recent Op-Ed “Politics trumps law for GOP judges” is significant.

Very significant.

Your stall tactics are becoming obvious, Republicans

The Stand Up for Democracy coalition along with Rainbow/Push Detroit filed an emergency appeal today demanding that the Board of State Canvassers rule immediately to put the repeal of Public Act 4 – Michigan’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager law — on the November ballot.

Halle-freakin-lujah Information is just coming out but various news sources are reporting that the Michigan Court of Appeals has declined to convene a special 7-member panel to review the correctness of a 30-year old decision regarding “substantial compliance” of referendum petitions. Because of this, for now at least, the referendum to repeal Public Act 4, the Emergency Manager law, WILL […]

Desperation breeds desperation Last Friday, the Detroit Free Press published a blistering editorial condemning the Michigan Court of Appeals judges who ruled to delay a decision on the font size issue related to the petitions to put the repeal of Emergency Manager Law — Public Act 4 — on the November ballot. The editorial, titled “Stall tactics bring shame on […]

What’s the Mayan word for “Tea Partier”? Dear people who live outside of Michigan, Michigan is a “blue state.” Democrats have won the state in every presidential election since 1992. Clinton, Gore, Kerry and Obama. Yet in blue Michigan, we know exactly what happens when Republicans take control of all three branches of state government: corporations win and people lose. […]

This is unprecedented The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled today that the petitions for the repeal of Michigan’s Emergency Manager law did NOT comply with the law. This is despite the sworn printer’s affidavit and expert analysis proving otherwise. However, the Court also said that prior rulings relating to “substantial compliance” compel them to allow the petitions and to validate […]

Things are NOT getting better

Today, the State Court of Appeals ruled that the review teams that recommended Emergency Managers for Detroit and Flint were not subject to the Open Meetings Act. The court ruled that they are not a “governing body” so they are exempt from the requirement.

[More after the jump…]

How long are we going to put up with this?

Yesterday in Detroit, the three Republican judges on the Michigan Court of Appeals heard testimony regarding the font-size challenge to the petitions gathered to put the repeal of Public Act 4 — the Emergency Manager Law — on the November ballot. As I wrote about the other day, they did so without complete information because expert analysis of the font used on the petitions — analysis requested by the Michigan Director of State Elections — was not included in the overview given to the Board of State Canvassers before they made their decision on April 26.

Laura Conaway at The Maddow Blog spoke with the expert, Assistant Professor Chris Corneal of the Graphic Design in the Department of Art, Art History and Design at Michigan State University. Here’s what he had to say:

Astonishing

I find myself using the word “astonished” or “astonishing” a LOT lately when it comes to Michigan politics. My level of cynicism seems to be rising exponentially as each week passes when I see the outrageous and egregious things that Republicans are doing in our state.

But this might take the cake.

I can haz democracy? The legal team for the Stand Up For Democracy coalition seeking to put the repeal of Public Act 4 — Michigan’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager law — are using a rare legal move to force the Board of State Canvassers to certify nearly a quarter million petition signatures and put the repeal on the November ballot. The […]