Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver (Michigan Supreme Court, retired) was in Detroit yesterday. By an odd happenstance, so was I. I was there to do a taping at anInsideOut Literary Arts Project event honoring Detroit Poet Laureate Naomi Long Madgett. That was Thursday night. Friday morning and early afternoon we were conducting interviews with some outstanding poets who agreed to speak about Naomi’s long and generous career as a poet, publisher, and advocate for the arts.
We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed to the Southfield Westin where Justice Weaver would speak at a presser–a press conference–organized by the Gerald Thurswell law firm. Justice Weaver spoke as did Bishop John Sheard of the Church of God in Christ, Southwest Michigan. Bishop Sheard is in charge of 90 churches in the state, 40 of them in Detroit; others are as far west as Allegan County. Here is the presser.
The Free Press reported the story this morning. The Free Press reporter there brought out in a question one of the two most notable things from Justice Weaver at the presser: that the Court does not need to do much in secret, despite Former Chief Justice Cliff Taylor’s assertion that “These discussions between judges have to be inviolately secret. Otherwise the system can’t work.” Only in rare instances, says Justice Weaver. For the rest, fling open the doors: it IS the public’s business.
The second most remarkable assertion is the call for an open investigation of the Court, the Supreme Court Administrator’s Office, the Judicial Tenure Commission, the Attorney Grievance Commission.
Here’s a request to the new Governor, either Mr. Snyder or Mr. Bernaro: Please do it.