Parties and attorneys may also include any personal pronouns in the name section of the caption, and courts are required to use those personal pronouns when referring to or identifying the party or attorney, either verbally or in writing. Nothing in this subrule prohibits the court from using the individual’s name or other respectful means…
What’s next in Michigan’s criminal court costs journey when the Michigan Supreme Court asks that a specific question be briefed and practically no one does? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Immediate background The controversial MCL 769.1k that permits a sentencing judge to assess “court costs” has been one of the sticky wickets in Michigan’s ongoing conversation about how Michigan trial courts should be funded. (See for example People v Cunningham, 496 Mich 145 (2014) and the 2019 Trial Court Funding Commission Final Report.) 🚨Whether MCL…
Large font is better (really!), including for footnotes and endnotes
There is no opinion shortage about the U.S. State Department’s announced shift from the Times New Roman font to Calibri (A font feud brews after State Dept. picks Calibri over Times New Roman) This post, however, is about font size and not type. The “controversial” State Department cable also directs future written communications to use…
Why images in your writing should include numbered labels, descriptive captions, and content warnings
There are two valuable lessons from the shortcomings in how the scores of photos were included in the 845-page January 6th Report: the need for numbered image labels and descriptive captions Consider these two report pictures from the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference: Shortfall: Missing numbered labels. Notice how these photos do not include…
A recommended read: Ann Handley’s newsletter #129
Count me in as one of Ann Handley’s newsletter subscribers. This week’s Total Annarchy newsletter (#129) includes an observation that, in a different way, reminds me of why I am going to miss reading (now-retired) Justice Bridget McCormack’s writings from the Michigan Supreme Court: Instead, this story is about the staying power of something more…
2022: Another year of fewer Michigan Supreme Court filings
Looking back 11 years, 2022 saw the fewest number of new filings at the Michigan Supreme Court. An extraordinary trend of lower filings has been on pace since 2014. The data is below.
“To every thing there is a season”
The Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 passage came to mind when I passed Michigan’s Capitol today. The photo on the left was taken on January 1. The photo on the right is on January 3. The contrast from time’s passing reminded me of Hamilton’s “My Shot”. If my mind can’t shake the song, why should yours? Enjoy.
Two different digital file versions of the January 6th Report reminded me why most courts prohibit “certified” .pdf e-filings
The incomplete date of “December 00, 2022” on the cover was the first thing I noticed when the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol released its Final Report on December 22, 2022. I mentally chalked it up as related to the “printer issue” given earlier reporting that the…
Storytelling through headings and images: the January 6 Final Report’s effective examples
845 pages can seem like a lot to tackle for those interested in the Final Report issued by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Fortunately for the casual reader, the Select Committee incorporated two effective storytelling tools to inform: report headings and images. Storytelling through headings A…
Things can fall apart when a passionate opinion is indifferent to function
Have been chewing over this Washington Post piece from a few months ago: Sandwiches must be cut diagonally, and I’m not taking questions I’m still unsure why the staff writer has such a strong, non-negotiable preference for diagonally cut sandwiches—so much so to turn it into a published piece for a major paper. But I…