In the United States, the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting most forms of speech. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which was passed in 1996, protects websites from lawsuits if a user posts something illegal, although there are exceptions for copyright violations, sex work-related material, and violations of federal criminal law.
Read more at The Verge
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a law Monday that will help low-income families avoid home foreclosures for unpaid taxes.
The law allows local governments to forgive penalties and interest for families that meet an income test.
Read more at Michigan Radio
"Real ID is a part of the federal government’s response to 9/11," said Jake Rollow, Director of Communications for the Michigan Department of State.
Rollow says the Real ID Act's requirements have been delayed for years.
"It’s a law that’s been in place for a long time,” Rollow said. “And it’s now coming into the final phase which is full enforcement.'
Read more at WNEM5.com
"In 2014, James King was a law-abiding college student who was brutally beaten and choked unconscious by members of a joint state/federal police task force after they misidentified him as a suspect sought in connection with a non-violent petty crime. Ever since that day, the government has used every tool at its disposal to ensure those officers are not held accountable to the Constitution.
As IJ Attorney Patrick Jaicomo explained, “The Fourth Amendment prevents the government from undertaking unreasonable searches and seizures. Here, at every step of the way, the officers were unreasonable in searching and seizing James, including when they beat him. We filed this lawsuit in 2016. It’s now 2020 and the government still hasn’t even filed an answer addressing all the claims that we’ve raised. Instead, they’ve spent the past four years filing different motions with courts, arguing under technicalities why they shouldn’t be held accountable rather than explaining why what they did actually wasn’t wrong.”
One of those technicalities is called “qualified immunity,” a special legal protection the Supreme Court created in the 1980s to protect government officials. Under qualified immunity, officers can violate the Constitution unless previous court rulings have explicitly prohibited that exact action by the police—a standard that has become nearly impossible to meet."
Read more at the Institute For Justice
Effective December 1, 2019, applicants for employment in the City of Grand Rapids have more protections. In a newly enacted “Human Rights” chapter of the city code, Grand Rapids deems it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a current or prospective employee with respect to hire; tenure; terms, conditions or privileges of employment; or any matter directly or indirectly related to employment, unless such act is based on a “bona fide occupational qualification.”
Read more at Lexology
The Read by Grade Three law was passed in 2016 to combat the low literacy rates.
Education leaders say Michigan is in a "literary crisis," with the state's third grade students testing on the lower end of the 50 states nationally during the M-STEP or National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). The Read by Grade Three law was passed in 2016 to combat the low literacy rates.
Read more at wzzm13
Some states, including Georgia, have put similar programs in place, and the federal government is also working to improve resources for those in need of immediate mental health services.
Once installed, operators could connect callers with local care providers and resources, including up-to-date availability of psychiatric and substance abuse services.
Read more at mLive.com
A study of 1,005 Michigan drivers found that 53% of insured drivers have just “heard of it” or are “not at all familiar” with the no-fault auto insurance law that goes into effect after July 1.
“The law is complex, regarding personal injury protections,” said Ruthanne Sudderth, senior vice president of public affairs and communications at Michigan Health & Hospital Association, which commissioned the study ahead of a public education campaign it plans to launch in the spring.
Read more at Lansing State Journal
Michigan State Police launches criminal investigation after possible flawed breathalyzer test results
In a letter written to police and prosecutors statewide, state police officials warned law enforcement agencies about “performance-related issues” with the Datamaster DMT breathalyzer devices, according to The Detroit News. Such issues could affect drunken driving cases.
Read more at WXYZ Detroit
Photos or video, however, are prohibited unless approved by a judge.
The public can now bring electronic devices into courtrooms to take notes, use the internet or exchange email and text messages.
Read more at WZZM13
