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Interviews with Michigan State Supreme Court Justices
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- Description:
- Michigan Supreme Court Justice Theodore Souris discusses his family history, living in Detroit and then Ann Arbor as a student, joining the Air Force in 1943, and finally returning to the University of Michigan in 1945 to finish his undergraduate degree and complete law school. Souris also talks about knowing Michigan legends G. Mennen Williams and Neil Staebler, practicing law after graduating, being involved in the election recounts of 1950 and 1952, and his unexpected appointment to the Michigan Supreme Court. Souris says that his first weeks on the Court were challenging, but that he worked quickly to initiate needed changes in such matters as the process of acquiring copies of briefs and creating "Window Reports." He also weighs in on the statistical analyses of the Court's work, court processes, writing opinions, the relationships of Justices during his tenure and the work of such colleagues as Justices Talbot Smith and George Edwards. The Michigan Supreme Court confronted many thorny legal issues during his time, Souris says and chief among these were Michigan court reform, the one-man grand jury law, government immunity, presumption of undue influence, summary judgment, and the right of discovery. Souris discusses each and how such cases and court decisions affect the creation and revision of laws.
- Date Created:
- 1990-11-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- Interviews with Michigan State Supreme Court Justices
- Description:
- Part 1: Mary S. Coleman, the first woman elected to the Michigan Supreme Court and the first to serve as its Chief Justice, talks about her early life in Texas, her family's move to Washington, D.C., her parents, her father's death, her high school years, meeting Oliver Wendall Holmes, dating, attending the University of Maryland and attending law school at George Washington University, where she was often the only female in her classes. She also talks about getting her law degree in 1939, marrying her husband a few days later, starting a job at the USDA, and later moving to her husband's hometown of Marshall, Michigan to support his bid for the Michigan Senate in 1948. Part 2: Mary S. Coleman, the first woman elected to the Michigan Supreme Court and the first to serve as its Chief Justice, talks about her husband Creighton's campaign for the Michigan Senate in 1948, his legal practice, her life as a homemaker, her husband's law firm, and pursuing her own legal career in Michigan. Coleman also discusses dealing with sexism in the judicial system, the respectful way she was treated by judges, her interest in children's issues, foster care, juvenile court and social work, and how she eventually become a court referee and later, in 1960, a Probate Court judge. Coleman calls herself a "conservative" and then describes her support for the Equal Rights Amendment and other women's rights initiatives. She concludes by describing the working environment within the Court, its terrible reputation, the hostility between the justices, the divisions over workers compensation cases, the influence of unions, the Swainson scandal and its impact on the Court and her own role in deciding key cases. Part 3: Mary S. Coleman, the first woman elected to the Michigan Supreme Court and the first to serve as its Chief Justice, concludes her reminisces of her time on the Court. Coleman describes efforts to reorganize the lower court system to bring efficiency and clarity to the system, working with unions, Coleman Young, and others to influence legislation restructuring the courts and breaking with old systems of patronage and favor. Coleman also discusses fighting to get better pay for her court employees while she was a Probate judge, attempts to bring fairness and equity to pay levels across the state, the battle over reapportionment following the 1980 census, her resignation from the Court so that Governor William Milliken could appoint her replacement, various colleagues on the Court and the support from her family which she says she has enjoyed throughout her career.
- Date Created:
- 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- Interviews with Michigan State Supreme Court Justices
- Description:
- Michigan Supreme Court Justice Otis M. Smith talks about growing up in Memphis, Tenn, his family history, working multiple jobs to pay for college, serving in the U.S. military during World War II, entering law school after the war, and his early professional jobs. Smith says that from a very early age he was filled with a burning desire to succeed in life and to make his mark. Smith also discusses the judicial selection process, his own appointment to the Michigan Supreme Court, the geographic makeup of the Court during his tenure, selection of a Chief Justice, and the interaction of the Justices. He then goes on to discuss his colleagues, including Justices Gene Black, Harry Kelly, John Dethmers, George Edwards, Theodore Souris, Thomas Kavanagh, Michael O'Hara and Paul Adams. Smith speaks eloquently of the serious nature of conducting Court business and discusses his own decision making style, and the issues he dealt with in cases such as Scholle versus Hare, the People versus Lochricco, and the Fenestra, Mallory, and Pittsfield Township cases.
- Date Created:
- 1990-10-23T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- Interviews with Michigan State Supreme Court Justices
- Description:
- Part 1: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Patricia Boyle talks about her childhood, the influence of family on her life, and her college years at the University of Michigan, an institution which she says was woefully lacking in diversity during her time there. She also says that she "fell into" the practice of law, describes law school, and says that she was ill treated by her male classmates. After law school, Boyle says that she had an almost impossible time finding a job in a male dominated field and that the job interview process itself was often sexist. She says that early in her career she was naive about sexism in the legal field, cites the disparity in pay between genders, and says that women are denied equal opportunity and that most women in the field work as secretaries or "helpers". Boyle also recalls the tensions between her career and family life, her eventual divorce, her second marriage and the impact of her career on her children. Part 2: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Patricia Boyle discusses being considered for the position of U.S. Attorney General during the Clinton Administration, other job opportunities, how selections are made for high profile jobs, and the incredible personal scrutiny candidates face. Boyle also says that the Court was remarkably "clean" during her tenure, even in the face of party politics and that she simply tried to "do what was right" at all times. Boyle also critiques the other Chief Justices who served with her, including Justices Riley and Levin and describes how gender, race and ethnicity affected the Court's decisions. Boyle concludes by describing her appointment to the Court by Governor Blanchard. Part 3: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Patricia Boyle describes her relationships with Michigan Governors Milliken, Blanchard and Engler and discusses the differences in their politics. Boyle also discusses several high profile decisions made by the Court during her tenure, such as in the "Baby Jessica" and Dr. Jack Kevorkian cases and the contentious legal issues faced by the Court, including the Duty to Aid or Protect Doctrine, unintended harm, negligence and liability, grandparent visitation rights, Miranda rights, criminal sentences and probation, and the cost of incarceration versus treatment for drug offenses. Boyle also comments on liberal and conservative influences on the Court, the principles under which the Court operates, Court authority in relation to the state legislature, single party domination of the branches of government, and the U.S. Justices she admires.
- Date Created:
- 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- Interviews with Michigan State Supreme Court Justices