opinion Brian Dickerson Detroit Free Press Published 7:01 AM EST Jan 10, 2019 By the zero-sum reckoning of a state that often staggers under the burden of its partisan divisions, Republican justices still hold a 4-3 majority on the Michigan Supreme Court. So Wednesday's announcement that the seven members of the the state's highest court have unanimously elected Democrat Bridget McCormack as their new chief justice may have come as a shock to those who remember the bare-knuckle partisanship that prevailed when justices nominated by Gov. John Engler dominated the court. McCormack's election doesn't signify the Republican majority's conversion to the liberal perspective she acquired as the founding director of the University of Michigan Law School's Innocence Project. Nor does it augur any immediate retreat from a generation of conservative jurisprudence in which the state Supreme Court's GOP justices have mostly … [Read more...] about GOP state Supreme Court elected a Democratic chief justice
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Trump agrees to dissolve charity that New York accused of wrongdoing
Shahien Nasiripour and Erik Larson, Bloomberg Published 10:38 am PST, Tuesday, December 18, 2018 President Donald Trump has agreed to shut down his personal charity and distribute its assets to other nonprofits under an agreement with the New York attorney general who alleged widespread wrongdoing, according to a pair of Tuesday court filings. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood sued the Donald J. Trump Foundation, Trump and his three eldest children in June, alleging the foundation engaged in a "shocking pattern of illegality" and functioned as "little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump's business and political interests." Underwood pointed to various donations the charity had made over the years that she alleged were made simply to settle Trump's business disputes or advance his political career. Underwood also sued Trump and his three oldest children - Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. - alleging that as directors of the charity they neglected their duties … [Read more...] about Trump agrees to dissolve charity that New York accused of wrongdoing
Incoming New York attorney general plans wide-ranging investigations of Trump and family
Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. SUBSCRIBE Dec. 12, 2018 / 9:30 AM GMT By Allan Smith New York Attorney Gen.-elect Letitia James says she plans to launch sweeping investigations into President Donald Trump, his family and "anyone" in his circle who may have violated the law once she settles into her new job next month. "We will use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well," James, a Democrat, told NBC News in her first extensive interview since she was elected last month. James outlined some of the probes she intends to pursue with regard to the president, his businesses and his family members. They include: Any illegalities involving Trump's real estate holdings in New York, highlighting the October New York Times investigation into the president's finances. The June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian … [Read more...] about Incoming New York attorney general plans wide-ranging investigations of Trump and family
New York state judge allows suit against Trump and his personal charity to proceed
Jonathan O'Connell and David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post Published 1:44 pm PST, Friday, November 23, 2018 A New York state judge on Friday denied a request by attorneys for President Donald Trump to throw out a lawsuit alleging that Trump and his family violated charity laws with the management of their personal foundation. Justice Saliann Scarpulla sided with New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood in allowing the case to continue, saying it was fair for the attorney general to argue that Trump used the Donald Trump Foundation to advance his presidential campaign. Trump attorney Alan Futerfas, who represents Trump and his three eldest children, had argued that Trump was acting in his individual capacity - not on behalf of the foundation - in hosting a televised fundraiser for veterans and allowing his campaign staff to dictate what groups received donations. But the allegations, Scarpulla wrote in her decision, "show that Mr. Trump was acting in both of his … [Read more...] about New York state judge allows suit against Trump and his personal charity to proceed
Trump fails to end New York lawsuit over his charity
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York state judge rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to dismiss a lawsuit in which New York’s attorney general accused him of misusing his namesake foundation to advance his 2016 presidential campaign and his businesses. U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from the media after speaking via teleconference with troops from Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 22, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer The decision issued Friday by Justice Saliann Scarpulla of the state supreme court in Manhattan is a rebuke to the Republican president, whose lawyer had accused Attorney General Barbara Underwood, a Democrat, of “pervasive bias” for suing. Scarpulla said the U.S. Constitution did not immunize Trump from the lawsuit, and Underwood could pursue claims alleging breach of fiduciary duty, improper self-dealing, and misuse of assets belonging to the Donald J. Trump Foundation. Underwood sued Trump and his … [Read more...] about Trump fails to end New York lawsuit over his charity