16Jul 2023 by Charles E. Price
Demand for free civil legal aid in Michigan outweighs attorneys

Demand for free civil legal aid in Michigan outweighs attorneys

LEGAL
Kelisha Williams has been trying to get a divorce for five years and said it has been a long and expensive endeavor. Last fall, when a car accident left her unable to work and without steady income, she couldn't afford a lawyer.The cost for legal representation, according to estimates Williams received: between $8,000 to $10,000. But earlier this year, a 3rd Circuit Court judge referred her to the William Booth Legal Aid Clinic — the Salvation Army's only free legal service provider in the world, serving low-income metro Detroit residents — and she's now hopeful she'll get to a resolution. The 47-year-old Detroiter said it was a relief the court told her about the clinic because otherwise she likely would have been waiting for someone to call her back or…
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04Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price
US Supreme Court gavel falls on tribal rights

US Supreme Court gavel falls on tribal rights

LAW
Opinion The US Supreme Court, amid decisions radically expanding gun rights and removing a woman's constitutional right to abortion, has toppled almost 200 years of law protecting Native American tribal independence and sovereignty. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled individual US states have authority over tribes within their borders. In a 5-4 decision defining the scope of the 2020 McGirt ruling, Justice Brett Kavanaugh writes: "The court holds that Indian country within a state's territory is part of a state, not separate from a state. The decision specifically had to do with the issue of state jurisdiction of criminal law on tribal lands, but comes with massive ramifications. Simply put, it means, in the 20 states where tribal reservations exist, US state law now supersedes Indigenous law. In the United…
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