Interview with former Michigan Supreme Court Justice John B. Swainson

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Description:

Part 1: Michigan Supreme Court Justice John B. Swainson discusses his educational background, serving in all three branches of Michigan government, his election to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1970, and his first case on the Court, People vs. Jondreau, which dealt with Native American fishing rights. Swainson also talks about the Joe Smeekens case, his colleague Justice Gene Black, the ramifications of Roe vs. Wade in Michigan, the issue of compensation for lawyers when representing indigent clients, and the famous marijuana possession case of political activist and White Panther Party founder, John Sinclair. Swainson notes that the stated date of the interview is incorrect and that the actual date is October 18. Part 2: Michigan Supreme Court Justice John B. Swainson discusses "Parochi-Aid" school funding, billboard restrictions, drug prosecutions, the case of People vs. Matish, the Detroit Police Officers' Association vs. City of Detroit and his involvement with their arbitration after his court term, the election of judges, the geographic dispersal of judges, the impact of the creation of the Michigan Court of Appeals in 1964, and televising trials. He also talks about the importance of preserving judicial history, the career of William A. Fletcher, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the portraits of former Justices, and his view of the function of the judiciary in the state of Michigan.

Date Created:

1990-10-01T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Michigan State University. Libraries

Collection:

Interviews with Michigan State Supreme Court Justices

Place:

Michigan, Michigan, Michigan, Michigan, Michigan, Detroit (Mich.), Michigan, Michigan, and Michigan

Subject Topic:

Officials and employees, Judges, Prosecution, Contempt of court, Knowledge and learning, Career in civil service, Judges, Election, Indians of North America, Fishing, Law and legislation, Abortion, Law and legislation, Officials and employees, Residence requirements, Commuting, Courts, History, Court records, and Conservation and restoration

Subject Name:

Swainson, John B. (John Burley), 1925-1994, Michigan, Supreme Court, Matish, George B., Detroit Police Officers Association, Swainson, John B. (John Burley), 1925-1994, Swainson, John B. (John Burley), 1925-1994, Black, Eugene F., 1903-1990, Sinclair, John, 1941-, Detroit (Mich.), Police Department, Michigan, Court of Appeals, Fletcher, William Asa, and 1788-1852

Subject Genre:

Interviews, Interviews, Interviews, Trials, litigation, etc., Trials, litigation, etc., Trials, litigation, etc., and Trials, litigation, etc

Language:

English

Rights:

In Copyright

URL:

https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5n00zt24