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Michigan Supreme Court watcher: Rise in unanimous rulings means “better justice”

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published August 16, 2016 at 5:03 PM EDT

The Michigan Supreme Court has seen a sudden rise in unanimous decisions during the 2015-2016 term.

The old spiritual“Kumbaya”is a song of congregation and harmony. And it’s for this reason that the Michigan Supreme Court has earned the tag “TheKumbayaCourt” from court-watchers due to an increase in the number of cases decided unanimously.Through the 2015-2016 term, 81% of arguments held before the court have been unanimous decisions. In the previous two terms, only a little more than 50% of cases were decided unanimously.

Why the sudden rise in unanimous decisions?

RonBretzis a retired professor of Criminal Law and Procedure at Cooley Law School in Lansing. A former public defender, he’s been arguing before or keeping an eye on theMichiganSupreme Court for 40 years.

Bretz joined us to explain why the number of unanimous decisions has risen so suddenly.

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Ron Bretz is a retired professor of Criminal Law and Procedure at Cooley Law School in Lansing.

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