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Police
Judge Voluntarily Disqualifies Herself in Response to Newspaper’s Motion to Disqualify
Motion to Disqualify JudgeDownload
by P.D. Lesko
On Feb. 18, 2024, the newspaper received an email from Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Tracy E. Van den Bergh's clerk stating that, in response to a Motion to Disqualify…
Court of Appeals Reverses Local Judge Who Sentenced Defendant to 22-37.5 Years After “Disrespectful” Behavior During Hearings
Note: This is one in a series of articles about the Washtenaw County Trial Court and cases where a litigant or litigants appealed a County Trial Court judge’s ruling. The majority of local Trial Court rulings are upheld by…
Why We’re Suing the University of Michigan on Behalf of Banned Pro-Palestinian Protesters
by Ramis J. Wadood
The constitutional right to speak and protest freely is fundamental to a well-functioning democracy, particularly at public universities where diversity of thought, civic engagement, and vigorous debate about ideas…
Former County Sheriff Conducted Secret Investigation of Free Speech and Free Press at the Request of Local Trial Court Judge
Download and read the Sheriff's Dec. 2023 secret investigation Case Report prepared for Judge Tracy Van den Bergh.
Washtenaw Co. Sheriff Report - Judge Van Den Bergh Report 12.18.2023Download
by P.D. Lesko
1/28/25 Correction:…
Michigan ACLU Sues ICE to Obtain Records for Immigrants Being Held in Michigan Jails
by Ann Mullen
The ACLU of Michigan and the national ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on Jan. 22 to force U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Michigan county jails it contracts with, to release records about detained…
County Sheriff and Dir. of Engagement Lied, Knew About Deputy’s Background Check Rape Investigations
NOTE: This reporting was made possible by the Ann Arbor Independent's FOIA Fund. Donate today!
by P.D. Lesko
In March 2024, the Ann Arbor Independent made a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Washtenaw County for the…
A2Indy Files FOIA Suit Against Supreme Felons, Inc. to Force Release of Public Records
by P.D. Lesko
On Nov. 21, 2024 the Ann Arbor Independent filed suit in the Washtenaw County 22nd Circuit Court against Supreme Felons, Inc. In Sept. of 2024, the newspaper submitted two Freedom of Information Act requests to Supreme…
Trio of Washtenaw County Reps. Behind Legislation to Keep Judges From Denying Bail to Violent Criminals
by Hasan Almasi
Six bills under consideration in the Michigan’s House Criminal Justice Committee would reform state law to limit judges from requiring bail as a condition of release for some accused criminals awaiting trial.
Among…
Judge Refuses to Seal Greenhills Principal’s Case File: “Plaintiff Himself Widely Disseminated Information”
by P.D. Lesko
Read and download Judge Van den Bergh's three-page opinion below:
Vandenbergh_OpinionDownload
Peter B. Fayroian's word may be law of the land at the local private school (Greenhills) where he is the principal, but…
Ypsi Twp. Trustees “Outraged”: The County Prosecutor Is Soft on Gun Crime
by P.D. Lesko
It was dark at 6 a.m. Oct. 8, 2024, when an Ypsilanti Twp. employee arrived for work at the Township’s maintenance building. Spencer Alexander-McCoy Allen, a felon on lifetime parole, ambushed that employee, pointed a…
