Farmington Hills MI Criminal Defense Law Blog

The Law Offices of Raymond A. Cassar, PLC won a hard fought victory in the case of State of Michigan v Samuel Bragg (Michigan Court of Appeals).  In a recent decision, the Court of Appeals upheld the Priest-Penitent Privilege preventing the use of testimony by a pastor against a parishioner.  Many articles on this case have focused on the allegations of sex crimes.  Sometimes the public is so blinded by the nature of the charge, they lose sight of what this case is all about. The real issue in this case is whether a Pastor or any other member of the Clergy can reveal confidential communications made to him while acting as a Pastor.

The Priest/Penitent Privilege has been in existence for over 1500 years. The goal behind the privilege is to allow people to unburden their souls and seek spiritual guidance. This has always been a socially desirable goal and is supported by all forms of religions. The recent challenge to this privilege should send shock waves to all religions and all people. Our society needs to be able to go to their respective clergy and discuss things that are troublesome without worry that their private disclosure may become public and worse possibly used against them in court.

If you take away that trust, few people will seek spiritual guidance. The issue in this case is whether the privilege should be breached. It only takes a small leak to breach a huge dam. This fight will continue.

http://michiganlawyerblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/priest-penitent-privilege-survives-challenge/

In a previous blog post, it was noted that law enforcement agencies throughout Michigan were ramping up efforts to crackdown on drunk driving throughout the month of April. The increased effort to target drunk drivers was an attempt to decrease the number of drunk driving-related car accidents during March Madness, St. Patrick's Day and spring break.

In a follow up to the statewide effort to crackdown on drunk driving, police throughout Michigan have reported more than 400 drunk driving arrests throughout the three-week crackdown. The agencies that participated in the effort reported that among those arrested for drunk driving included 79 drivers that were charged under the new "Super Drunk" law.

When someone in Michigan is facing drug charges, a great deal is at stake. A person could face time behind bars and hefty fines. One couple in a nearby state will likely wish to begin working on a strong criminal defense after they were accused of committing drug crimes.

The couple, who owns a boutique, was recently arrested for allegedly trafficking an illegal synthetic drug, specifically K-2 spice. According to police, the couple had been under investigation for possibly distributing the illegal substances for some time prior to their arrest.

Michigan is planning to extend its annual statewide crackdown on drunk driving. Typically, the crackdown lasts until around St. Patrick's Day, but this year law enforcement plans to keep it going into April. The decision to extend the increase in law enforcement officials monitoring for intoxicated drivers came after a review of annual crash data.

According to law enforcement, there is a significant spike in drunk driving-related car accidents between March and April. Officials blame what can be referred to as the "spring trifecta." The trifecta is the occurrence of March Madness, spring break and St. Patrick's Day. Last year during March Madness alone authorities made 2,000 drunk driving arrests across the state of Michigan.