Audio recordings and other information shared with The Ann Arbor Independent show, instead, that Savit issued the statement because the victim had exercised her First Amendment rights. The University of Michigan Law School graduate ran unopposed in the November general election after defeating fellow Democratic candidates Arianne Slay and Hugo Mack in the August primary. Office of Development and Alumni Relations, Consumer Information (ABA Required Disclosures), Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Hon. In his academic capacity, he has published scholarly articles on topics such as state and local government, educational equity, campaign-finance reform, and environmental law. 7 talking about this. 27 January 2023, Link to Photo Citations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UeVQutN12Db6UMA_Gf_e7jKhxogDhxvjkn-CYxrUank/edit?usp=sharing, CategoriesWN23 Exceptional Community Members, Bringing a Community Together Through a Screen, diversion and deflection programs, problem solving courts and probation programs that run in Washtenaw County Courts, the Drug Treatment Court in the 22nd Circuit Court, Veterans Treatment Court, Sobriety Court, and Mental Health Court in the 15th District Court, among others. It means that his team must work harder and longer on their cases so that they can treat every case individually and with compassion. "We are committed to not just remedying past errors but making sure that errors like this never happen again.. and last updated 8:18 PM, Jun 03, 2022 ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) It took the creation of a Conviction Integrity Unit and the help of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, but Ronnell Johnson is finally. After law school, Eli worked for two federal judges, then as an appellate and Supreme Court lawyer. Buta Biberaj had initially refused to prosecute a transgender high schooler who sodomized a 14-year-old female student in a girls school bathroom. Marable concurred that cell tower records dont prove whether a crime has taken place. Contrary to accepted practices, Savit had the alleged assailant charged, arraigned on a $3 million bond and jailed before he had put together a case against the man, and before investigators had a chance to gather all the necessary evidence. [48], On January 4, 2021, Savit announced that the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office would no longer seek to hold people pending trial on cash bail. It took the creation of a Conviction Integrity Unit and the help of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, but Ronnell Johnson is finally free after spending the last 14 years fighting for his freedom. Prosecutor Drops All Charges Against Jeffrey Dwayne Smith, $3M Bond 2023 The University of Michigan Law School. In his academic capacity, he has published scholarly articles on topics such as state and local government, educational equity, campaign-finance reform, and environmental law. 734.647.4283. Eli Savit is an attorney, a law professor, and a former public school teacher, who is currently serving as the elected Prosecuting Attorney for Washtenaw County, MI. [30] He also presented testimony to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission in support of Equality Michigan's successful effort to have the Commission declare that Michigan's civil rights law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Instead of punishment for punishments sake, he approaches each case as a unique human story. New Washtenaw County, Mich., prosecutor Eli Savit has declared an end to cash bail. Credit card information is processed securely . Eli serves, or has served, on a number of youth-focused boards of directors, including the Detroits Hope Starts Here Early Childhood Initiative Stewardship Board, the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren, the Board of Directors at Ypsilantis FLY Children's Art Center. Daniel Nichanian Aug 05, 2020 Political Report Progressives Score New Wins in Prosecutor Elections, Adding to the Movement's Breadth Representative matters on which he has worked include a successful legal effort to have the Michigan Civil Rights Commission recognize discrimination claims against LGBTQ Michiganders, and assisting the States of New Jersey and Maryland and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in their efforts to hold corporate polluters responsible for PFAS and MTBE contamination in the states waterways. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Its refreshing to have an ethical, progressive-minded prosecutor., In an October 21 interview, hours before Savit released is statement, Christina Hines told The Ann Arbor Independent, I dont want the victim to feel any worse than she already does. He is a proud union member, as part of the Lecturers Employee Organization (American Federation of Teachers-Michigan Local 6244). [52], On January 14, 2021, Savit announced that his office would no longer prosecute consensual sex work, instead focusing on human trafficking, sexual assault, and sexual exploitation of children. Jeffrey Dwayne Smith had been jailed on September 19, held on a $3 million cash bond, and charged by Savits office. He serves as the Citys liaison to Michigans statewide task force on jail and pretrial incarceration. Eli is also a nationally recognized attorney who has led public-interest lawsuits against some of the countrys toughest adversariesadversaries such as banks, the opioid industry, slumlords, and corporate polluters. Others criticized Savits statement on social media. He sued banks, slumlords, and corporations whose housing policies were hurting Detroit residents. The Washtenaw County Prosecutors Office agrees with these voices, Savits policy directive states. He led the Citys efforts to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the opioid epidemic. Savits first policy change was directed at eliminating a zero-tolerance policy in the county, which was followed by the elimination of cash bail, calling it inherently inequitable and unjust., Washtenaw County prosecutor rolls out new policy to end use of cash bail. This reward is great. Since Eli Savits election I have grown hopeful that change can happen. Email. [11] He also regularly serves as a pro-bono cooperating attorney for civil-rights groups in Michigan. A historic, long-overdue day in Michigan. New Washtenaw County prosecutor to stop seeking cash bail "That clearly didn't happen here.. Eli N. Savit | University of Michigan Law School In addition to his work in Detroit, Eli is a faculty member at the University of Michigan Law School. County Prosecutor Released Public Statement to Retaliate Against Victim for Speaking to Media. At the couples wedding, Justice Kagan and Justice Ginsburg, who are quite used to issuing opinions regarding the law of the land, this time affixed their signatures to a more personal document the ketubah, the Jewish wedding contract. It was also recently discovered that Johnson's defense was never told about a plea deal his father was given in a separate case in order to identify his son. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.