Suit over court-appointed lawyers gets new life

LANSING (AP) -- The Michigan Supreme Court has reversed itself again and reinstated a lawsuit that challenges the system of appointing lawyers for criminal defendants who can't afford them. The key difference is Justice Alton Davis, who was appointed to the court in August but soon will leave after losing the recent election. He was part of the 4-3 majority Wednesday. The lawsuit claims that the rights of poor people have been violated because the paltry pay given to court-appointed lawyers routinely forces defendants into plea bargains. The Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit in July without considering the merits of the allegations. That was three months after it had unanimously sent the case back to the trial judge for more work on whether it should be granted class-action status. Published: Fri, Dec 3, 2010

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