Civil Rights Litigation Initiative

The Civil Rights Litigation Initiative provides students with the unique opportunity to work on important civil rights cases in a clinical setting. Taught by the former long-time legal director of the ACLU of Michigan, the goal of the course is to prepare students to use the law to advance social justice.

About the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative

While the types of cases will vary from semester to semester, students will have the opportunity to work on litigation addressing one or more of the following issues: fair housing, student rights, racial justice, police misconduct, immigrant rights, free speech, women’s rights, LGBT rights, ethnic and religious discrimination, voting rights, disability rights and the right to privacy. Students will work on civil rights cases on behalf of individuals as well as larger impact cases.

Students, under faculty supervision, will gain experience in many of the following areas:

Working with impacted communities to identify injustices
Researching and developing winning legal theories
Interviewing potential clients
Writing public record requests and demand letters
Drafting complaints
Researching and writing briefs
Arguing motions
Taking depositions and engaging in other discovery
Negotiating settlements
Trying cases
Drafting appellate briefs
Arguing appeals

Students will work primarily in federal court and will learn how to avoid the many procedural minefields that civil rights litigants face when seeking injunctive relief or recovering damages under 42 U.S.C. § 1983

Seeking help?

The Civil Rights Litigation Initiative (“the Initiative”) provides law students at the University of Michigan Law School with the opportunity to litigate civil rights cases under the supervision of experienced faculty.

The Initiative only accepts cases in the following areas: racial justice, police misconduct, fair housing, student rights, immigrant rights, free speech, women’s rights, LGBT rights, ethnic and religious discrimination, voting rights, disability rights and the right to privacy. We also only accept cases that arose in Michigan.

Review Submission Form

Recent Work

Police Misconduct

Wrongly Imprisoned Based on Misuse of Facial Recognition Technology

In April 2021, CRLI, working with the National ACLU and Michigan ACLU, filed a nationally important case against the City of Detroit on behalf of Robert Williams, who was falsely arrested in front of his family and jailed based on the faulty use of facial recognition technology. Mr. Williams, an African American father from Farmington Hills, is the first known person in the country to have been falsely arrested based on facial recognition technology, which is notoriously bad at identifying Black people. The lawsuit alleged that the Detroit police violated Williams’ rights under the Fourth Amendment and the Michigan Civil Rights Act. The case has received international attention and has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times Magazine, and on 60 Minutes. After years of fact and expert discovery, and negotiations, the parties settled the case for policy changes, damages, and attorneys’ fees. Aside from policies banning the police from using facial recognition altogether, the Detroit policies are now the strongest in the country preventing its misuse and are a model for police agencies across the country. (Williams v. City of Detroit; Student Attorneys: Julia Kahn, Ben Mordechai-Strongin, Lauren Yu, Nethra Raman, Collin Christner, Keenen McMurray, Lacie Melasi, Brendan Jackson, Will Ellis, Jonathan Barnett, Mickey Terlep, Hannah Juge, Brendan Jackson, Seth Mayer, Camelia Metwally, Rihan Issa, Jeremy Shur, Deborah Won, Eilidh Jenness, and Laila Kassis.)
Seeking Transparency from the Michigan State Police

In December 2023, CRLI filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit against the Michigan State Police (MSP) on behalf of Invisible Institute, Detroit Metro Times, and Big Local News, a national collaborative of award-winning news organizations that collects, processes, and analyzes public data. The collaborative is collecting the names of all law enforcement officers, except undercover officers, across the country to help reporters investigating police misconduct. At least thirty-two police agencies in other states have turned it over to the collaborative, but MSP denied access to the names of police officers throughout Michigan. In April, the judge denied MSP’s motion for summary disposition. Following discovery, the parties filed their closing briefs in December. (Invisible Institute v. Michigan State Police: Student attorneys: David Seaman, Lyllian Simerly, Ellory Longdon, Charles Clark, Derek Zeigler, Sarah Portwood, Natalie Punzak, Kassie Fotiadis, and Eli Massey.)
Excessive Force Against Black Lives Matter Protesters

Detroit Will Breathe (DWB) is a non-profit organization that protested in the streets of Detroit every day for more than 100 days following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. The protests in Detroit were remarkably peaceful, and the isolated incidents of vandalism were not carried out by DWB or its members. Nonetheless, the Detroit Police Department used military tactics against DWB members. For example, when DWB peacefully blocked traffic to protest federal officers coming to Detroit, the police responded by shooting protesters with rubber bullets, beating them with batons and shields, using deafening and disorienting sound cannons and flash grenades, deploying tear gas, pepper-spraying handcuffed activists, and placing protesters in dangerous chokeholds. CRLI is providing legal assistance to the National Lawyers Guild, who represents the plaintiffs. In October 2022, the case settled for more than $1 million plus attorneys’ fees and costs. (Detroit Will Breathe v. City of Detroit; Student Attorneys: Abhi Parekh, Amy Ciardiello, Solomon Furious Worlds, Deborah Won, and Martese Johnson.)
Seeking Complaints against Police Officers and Disciplinary Information

Before Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, 18 residents of Minneapolis had filed complaints against Chauvin, two of which resulted in discipline. When the members of the public are aware of complaints and subsequent disciplinary action against officers like Chauvin, they can advocate that problem officers be fired before causing any more harm. However, in Michigan, most cities refuse to make these documents public, even in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. In November 2022, CRLI filed a FOIA case on behalf of two residents of Chelsea against Chelsea for failure to release complaints and investigative records for officers who were involved in the controversial ticketing of young Black Lives Matter protesters. After CRLI filed the case, Chelsea turned over the requested documents and the case settled for attorneys’ fees in April 2023. (Student Attorneys: Ted Steinberg, Zainab Bhindarwala, Laura Durand, and Rachel Moore.)
Facial Recognition Technology Friend-of-the-Court Brief

In December 2024, CRLI joined with the ACLU to file a friend of the court brief a wrongful arrest case than the City of Detroit moved to dismiss. Our brief emphasized that facial recognition is inherently unreliable and that the police lack probable cause to arrest someone unless there is other evidence positively identify the person as a suspect. (Woodruff v. Oliver; Student attorney: Sarah Portwood.)

Reproductive Freedom

Preserving the Right to Choose in Michigan

Although the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, Michiganders never lost the right to choose to have an abortion – thanks to a case that CRLI litigated with Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Michigan. Anticipating the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs, we filed a case challenging a 1931 Michigan law criminalizing abortion, which several prosecutors planned to enforce when Roe was overturned. In June 2022, before Dobbs was issued, a Michigan judge ruled that the right to choose was protected by the Michigan Constitution’s guarantee to bodily integrity and temporarily enjoined enforcement of the 1931 abortion ban. She later entered a permanent injunction, which was appealed. The case was later rendered moot after Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment enshrining the right to choose in the Michigan Constitution in November 2022. (Planned Parenthood of Michigan v. Attorney General; Student Attorneys: Hannah Shilling, Emmy Maluf, Kassie Fotiadis, Lauren Gallagher, Elyse O’Neil, Rachel Moore, Hannah Juge, Emma Mertens, Audrey Hertzberg, Ruby Emberling, Cali Winslow, and Laura Durand.)
Fighting Further Restrictions on Abortion

Even though Michigan voters passed a proposal enshrining the right to choose in the Michigan Constitution, several unconstitutional restrictions to obtaining a safe abortion remain on the books in Michigan. CRLI provided legal support to the ACLU of Michigan as it prepared to challenge a ban on Medicaid funding for abortion. We also worked on memos for the National ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project advising providers of their options should a judge in Texas ban the use of Mifepristone for medical abortions. Finally, we provided legal support to the National ACLU and Planned Parenthood as then litigated cases across the country, including in Nevada and Utah. (Student Attorneys: Hannah Shilling, Emmy Maluf, Kassie Fotiadis, Michelle Wolk, Brendan Johnson, Lacie Melasi, and Keenen McMurray.)

Immigrant Rights

Temporary Protective Status for Haitian Refugees

The human rights abuses in Haiti are widespread and severe. Criminal gang violence is rampant, kidnapping for ransom is common, democratically elected official have been forced to flee, and there are credible reports of extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, child labor, and persecution of LGBT persons. As a result of the human rights conditions and devastation left from an earthquake, the United States has granted Temporary Protective Status to Haitians living in the United States. However, in February 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem partially vacated an extension of Temporary Protective Status and, based on statements from the Administration, it is anticipated that she will attempt to cancel all protection for Haitian refugees. CRLI is providing support to a team of lawyers who will challenge the cancellation of TPS. (Student Attorneys: Marlisa Marquez, Avery Coombe, Nithya Arun.)

Racial Justice

Racially Restrictive Covenant Project a/k/a “Justice InDeed.”

Thousands of homes in Washtenaw County have a provision in the deed that prohibits people of color – and sometimes Jewish or undocumented people – from living in the house “except as domestic servants.” While no longer enforceable, racially restrictive covenants have caused immeasurable harm to Black residents and other people of color. Along with other racist housing practices, racial covenants are responsible, in part, for today’s segregated neighborhoods and the racialized wealth disparities between Washtenaw County residents. In 2021, CRLI, along with civil rights leaders in Washtenaw County, formed an organization called Justice Indeed to (1) expose the fact that these covenants still exist; (2) educate the community and policymakers about the present impact of racially restrictive covenants in Washtenaw County; (3) repeal the racist covenants through community organizing, litigation, and legislation; and (4) encourage the adoption of policies to repair the damage. We are creating a detailed interactive online map that will allow residents in select neighborhoods to see the exact language of the racist covenant on their home and what they can do to repeal it. In the winter of 2022, we helped organize the first neighborhood in the county – and likely in the state – to repeal its racial covenant and replace it with a covenant barring discrimination. We are working with other neighborhoods to do the same, including Ypsilanti’s West Willow Neighborhood. We testified in support of legislation that was enacted to make it easy for homeowners to repeal the covenant on their homes. We were part of a community-engaged collaborative research project called, Black Washtenaw County: Histories of Racial Inequality, Segregation, and African-American Community Formation in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. Finally, we continue to make numerous presentations about covenants to college organizations, community groups, and high schools throughout the county. (Student Attorneys: Marlisa Marquez, Sarah Portwood, Charles Clark, Alex Votta, Nina Gerdes, Jonathan Barnett, Mickey Terlep, Keenen McMurray, Carol Guarnieri, Anna Silk, Collin Christner, Hannah Juge, Julia Kahn, Emma Mertens, Alex Nichols, Laura Durand, Susan Fleurant, Camelia Metwally, Will Brodt, Brenden Flynn, Hannah Greenhouse, Diane Kee, David Fegley, and Liza Davis.)
Racially Hostile Educational Environment at Hillsdale County Middle School

One of the only Black students at a Hillsdale County Middle School was racially harassed by other students for more than two years. He was called the n-word and other racial slurs on numerous occasions. The student’s parents felt that the racism was not being addressed adequately by the school, and they finally decided to homeschool their child to keep him safe. After being out of school for about five months, the student feels isolated and that he is missing out on the social aspects of school. CRLI is working with the family and the school district to ensure that the student can return to an environment where he is free to learn and be a kid without being subjected to racial harassment. (Student attorneys: Nithya Arun and Jennifer Kim.)
Neighbor-on-Neighbor Race Discrimination

In December 2023, CRLI filed a case on behalf of a Black mother and her daughter against their former white neighbor, alleging that the neighbor threatened our clients by hanging a KKK flag in the window facing our clients’ house, putting a full gas can in their recycling bin, and firing a gun repeatedly. The threats traumatized our clients, causing them to vacate their house. The case was referred to CRLI by the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit. We responded to defendant’s motion to dismiss in April and are awaiting a ruling. (Dinges v. Wilde; Student attorneys: Jennifer Kim, Avery Coombe, Sarah Hall, Anna Silk, Jillian Snyman, Charles Clark, Emmy Maluf and Natalie Punzak, David Seaman, and Jordan Smith).
Racially Hostile Environment at Pioneer High School

In August 2020, CRLI filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) on behalf of Makayla Kelsey alleging that Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor is a racially hostile environment for many Black students. We also sent a 14-page demand letter to the Ann Arbor Public Schools setting forth examples of problems at the school, including: an online competition in an economics class to see who could own the most slaves by the end of the exercise; harsher punishment of Black students than white students for similar conduct; and discriminatory treatment of the Black Student Union. The letter also pointed out the particularly egregious conduct of one teacher. It explained how this teacher insulted Black students and their parents in front of the class, used coded language to criticize Black students as “criminals” and “delinquents;” touched Black students without their consent; and humiliated Black students who are struggling in class by placing their grades up on the smart board. The letter called for an independent investigation of the racial climate by an outside civil rights organization, a race discrimination complaint system, and the dismissal of the problematic teacher. In December 2020, AAPS admitted to the United States Department of Education that the teacher in question violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy (FERPA) act by putting student’s grades on the board and agreed to provide additional training to bring the teacher back into compliance with FERPA. In December 2021, CRLI filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to force the Ann Arbor Schools to disclose records that our clients believe will reveal more evidence of race discrimination, which was settled in May 2022 after the documents were turned over. Because of lack of funding, the MDCR never completed its investigation. In April 2023, CRLI wrote a letter to all state legislators on behalf of Ms. Kelsey, the Michigan NAACP, the Michigan ACLU, the Arab-American Civil Rights League, and two fair centers in Michigan. The letter explained that the legislature was violating the Michigan Constitution, which specifically mandates the legislature to appropriate enough money for the “effective operation” of the MDCR. In July 2023, the legislature increased the MDCR budget by $10 million. (Kelsey v. Ann Arbor Schools; Student Attorneys: Hannah Shilling, Mickey Terlep, Ben Mordechai-Strongin, Abhi Parekh, Alex Nelson, Cali Winslow, Solomon Furious Worlds, Elise Coletta, Cali Winslow, Liza Davis, Martese Johnson, Katie Chan, and Anna Belkin.)
Race Discrimination in Housing

In March 2022, CRLI filed a federal fair housing action on behalf of a Black family who was denied the opportunity to purchase a house in Taylor based on the family’s race. When the family toured the house with their realtor, the white owner followed them from room to room, used racially coded language, told them that the neighbors did not want change, asked the mother to pull down her mask so he could see her face, and then wrote down a physical description. After the couple made a full-price offer for the house, the owner refused to negotiate and changed the terms of sale before ultimately selling to a white person. The case was referred to CRLI by the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit. In 2023, after significant motion practice about whether the insurance company had a duty to defend the seller and extensive negotiations, the case settled. (Harris v. Brickey; Student Attorneys: Nina Gerdes, Will Ellis, Brendan Jackson, Hannah Juge, Brendan Flynn, Susan Fleurant, and Camelia Metwally.)
Reparations

In 2021, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners appointed an Advisory Committee on Reparations to research and recommend a reparations proposal for descendants of enslaved people in Washtenaw County who have been deprived of wealth and opportunity due to systemic racism. CRLI provided support to the Committee through legal research and advice about how such a program can be structured to pass constitutional muster. (Student Attorneys: Charles Clark, Grace Vedock, Hannah Shilling and Cosmo Pappas.)
Racial Profiling in a Retail Store

CRLI is investigating an incident where three employees of a major retail store wrongfully stopped a Black patron in the days leading up to Christmas and ordered him to leave the store. The store later claimed that the employees had mistaken the Black patron for another person of color who had apparently acted inappropriately at the store a week earlier. We are currently in negotiations with the retailer to resolve the matter. (Student attorneys: Liliam Clavijo, Zarin Farook, Sarah Portwood, Jordan Smith, Hannah Knoll, and Malcolm Phelan).
Race Discrimination in Employment

Sex and Familial Status Discrimination

Discrimination Against Pregnant Employee

In October 2023, Kyleigh Shaw interviewed first with Kelly Services, a staffing agency, and then with Maximus, an employer and client of Kelly Services. Ms. Shaw, who was five months pregnant, was excited when Maximus offered her a position as a customer service representative because it was a remote job and it was perfect for her situation. After she accepted the Maximus job and quit her former job, Ms. Shaw was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which made her pregnancy high risk. She then informed Maximus of her medical situation and said that she would be having more ob-gyns appointments that previously expected. The day before Ms. Shaw was scheduled to start her job, Kelley Services told her that Maximus decided not to hire her. In 2024, CRLI filed charges with the EEOC on behalf of Ms. Shaw under the recently-enacted Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers. If the EEOC does not litigate her case, and we cannot settle the matter out of court, Ms. Shaw will go to mandatory arbitration and try the case before an arbitrator. (Student attorneys: Sarah Portwood, Liliam Clavijo, Jordan Smith, Kassie Foitatis, and Ellory Longdon.)
Couple with Newborn Told to Move

Dr. Lauren Williams and her husband were thrilled when Lauren gave birth to their first child in December 2021. Unfortunately, their Ann Arbor landlord, Robert Nosse did not share in their joy. In fact, he said in an email that he had only agreed to rent their two-bedroom apartment to a “young professional couple with a small dog, not a full blown family unit.” Although the Covid-19 pandemic was raging, the landlord told them that he would “appreciate it if [they] start scouting out a suitable new environment that will be beneficial to nurture [their] expanding family.” In April 2022, the couple filed a familial status discrimination case under the Fair Housing Act in federal court. In April 2023, CRLI successfully negotiated a $36,500 settlement to resolve the case. (Williams v. Nosse; Student Attorneys: Laura Durand, Elyse O’Neill, Audrey Hertzberg, Peter Harding, Brendan Jackson, Emma Mertens, Julia Kahn.)
Landlord Forbids Mom with a Son and Daughter from Renting 2-Bedroom Apartment

In 2017, Jennifer Anderson-Luna thought she had found the perfect Ann Arbor apartment for her two children, a ten-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy. It was just three blocks from her daughter’s elementary school, with plenty of space for the three of them. However, the rental agent told her that the owner of the building did not want a boy and a girl to share a bedroom. When Ms. Anderson-Luna complained to the Fair Housing Center of Southeast & Mid Michigan (FHC), the FHC arranged for fair housing testers to call pretending to seek an apartment. The testing confirmed that the landlord had a discriminatory policy of refusing rent to families with more than one child, violating the Fair Housing Act. In September 2020, CRLI filed a federal lawsuit and the case was successful settled in December 2020. (Anderson-Luna v. McIntosh & Co. Realty; Student Attorneys: Diane Kee and David Fegley.)

Source of Income Discrimination

Refusing to Rent to Tenants with Government Housing Vouchers

Although Ann Arbor passed an ordinance banning source-of-income discrimination, some landlords still refuse to rent to people who use government housing vouchers. In April 2023, CRLI filed suit against landlord Wilson White on behalf of Megan Morse, a disabled mom, for rejecting her housing application because she used housing choice vouchers. It is a first-of-its-kind case in the State of Michigan. Discovery is over now and Ms. Morse filed a motion for partial summary disposition in November, 2024. The parties are now in negotiations. (Morse v. Wilson White Co.; Student attorneys: Marlissa Marquez, Samantha Houghton, Sara Shapiro, Mara Horn, Jordan Smith, Alexander Votta, Hannah Knoll, Greg Zacharia, Sarah Hall, Anna Silk, Lauren Yu, Rebecca Lowy, Ruby Emberling, Elyse O’Neill.)

Freedom of Speech

Palestinian Rights Advocates Censored in Detroit Park

During the Christmas season last year, a group called the Ceasefire Choir was singing songs in support of an end to the Gaza in Campus Martius, a public park in the center of Downtown Detroit. A private security officer told the group that they had to leave because their songs were “controversial” and the park was private property. CRLI wrote a letter to the City of Detroit and the private organization that manages the park for the city, advising them that their action violated both the First Amendment and a city ordinance that specifically allows groups of fewer than 25 people to protest in Campus Martius without a permit. When we did not hear back with assurances that the security security guards would be trained not to interfere with similar protests in the future, we filed a lawsuit. We are now in negotiations to settle the case. Since filing the lawsuit, Ceasefire Choir has been able to protest twice without interferences. (Student Attorneys: Eman Naga, Zarin Farook, Gregory Zacharia, Jillian Snyman, Alexander Votta.)
West Michigan Town Censors Civil Rights Messages

In Allendale there is a “Garden of Honor” with statues commemorating wars throughout American history. The statue commemorating the Civil War depicts a Confederate soldier and a Union soldier with a small Black child crouching between the soldiers’ feet. It is thought to be one of the only statues of a Confederate soldier north of the Mason-Dixon Line and civil rights activists are advocating for its removal. Surrounding the war memorial is a pavilion of bricks with a messages which residents paid to have inscribed. Allendale has allowed a wide variety of messages on these bricks, including business advertisements and overtly religious messages such as “Lord Jesus Christ, St. John 11:25,” “I am the resurrection and the life,” and “Allendale’s 1997 Car Show.” Local civil rights advocates, as a form of protest over the civil war statue, submitted applications for bricks with messages such as “Black Lives Matter,” and “Indigenous Lives Matter.” Upon receiving these applications, the City changed the rules for inscriptions and denied the requests under the new rules. In December 2021, CRLI filed a federal lawsuit against Allendale on behalf of the civil rights advocates, alleging that their free speech rights were violated. After discovery, the federal judge denied cross-motions for summary judgment. In December 2023, the case settled when the Township agreed to install 14 bricks with inscriptions such as “Black Vets Matter!”, “Indigenous Vets Matter,” and “Tuskeegee Airmen.” The Township also agreed to pay $30,000 in attorney fees. (Miller v. Allendale Charter Township; Student Attorneys: Jacob Abudaram, Hannah Juge, Michelle Wolk, Keenan McMurray, Lauren Gallagher, Julia Kahn, Peter Harding, Cali Winslow, Eilidh Jenness, and Will Brodt.)
Representing Young Black Lives Matter Protesters in Chelsea

In 2020, a high school student named Mya King was attending a Black Lives Matter protest in Chelsea, when an adult counter-protester punched her in the face. The Chelsea police officer assigned to investigate the assault was openly hostile to Mya. When a group called Anti-Racist Chelsea Youth (ARCY) publicized the officer’s racist posts on Facebook, he was suspended from the force. Rather than apologizing to Mya and supporting her, however, the Chelsea Police Department issued Mya and numerous other ARCY members tickets for “impeding traffic” for marching for short periods of time in a lane of Main Street. By comparison, other cities in Washtenaw County (and across the country) regularly directed traffic around Black Lives Matter protesters, even when they knelt in major intersections and blocked all traffic for long periods of time. CRLI, along with the ACLU, filed a motion to dismiss the charges because the law they were charged under violated the First Amendment. In February 2021, the judge dismissed the case against our client and the 15 other protesters who joined in our motion. (City of Chelsea v. King; Student Attorneys: Diane Kee, Peter Harding, Jonah Rosenbaum, Cali Winslow, Laila Kassis, and Jeremy Shur.)
School District Prohibited Teacher from Displaying Black Lives Matter Poster

In 2021, CRLI successfully advocated for a high school teacher in a Detroit suburb who, following the killing of George Floyd, placed a Black Lives Matter poster behind her so her students could see it when she taught by Zoom. She displayed the poster to show support for her Black students who were in pain over the police killings of so many Black Americans across the country. Although the sign simply reflected the district’s policies on diversity, equity and inclusion, and although the sign was consistent with the superintendent’s letter to school district families following the killing of George Floyd, the high school’s principal ordered the teacher to remove the poster. Shortly after CRLI wrote a letter setting forth the governing case law to the superintendent and school board, the school district reversed course. (Student Attorneys: Solomon Furious Worlds, Deborah Won, and Amara Lopez.)
Friend-of-the-Court Brief in the Sixth Circuit

In 2021, CRLI students assisted lawyers from the National ACLU and the ACLU of Ohio on an amicus brief in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief argued that the government cannot use an unconstitutional law to punish a person for speech simply because a court later severed the unconstitutional portion of the statute and declared the remainder to be constitutional going forward. (Lindenbaum v. Realgy; Student Attorneys: Jonah Rosenbaum and Peter Harding.)

Voting Rights

Qualifying for the Ballot During the Pandemic

In Michigan, in order to qualify for the ballot, candidates for some offices must collect thousands of valid petition signatures. During normal times, serious candidates for office can usually meet the signature requirement with ease. However, in the spring of 2020, a stay-at-home order promulgated in response to the pandemic made it a crime to petition in public places and engage in door-to-door canvassing. As a result, numerous candidates who had been diligently collecting signatures before the pandemic were going to lose the opportunity to appear on the ballot. CRLI wrote an amicus brief on behalf of the ACLU of Michigan arguing that the signature requirement during those unique times was unconstitutional. After thanking CRLI and the ACLU for its helpful briefs at oral argument, the federal judge reduced the number of required signatures by 50%, allowed candidates to collect signatures electronically, and extended the time to file the signatures. (Esshaki v. Whitmer; Student Attorneys: Diane Kee, Katie Chan, Brian Remlinger, Maiya Moncino, and Brooke Simon.)

Student Rights

School Disturbance Ordinance has Unequal Impact on Black Students

The Student Advocacy Center of Michigan’s mission is to keep students in school and to halt the school-to-prison pipeline. In May of 2022, the SAC heard about a student who was fined $500 for creating a disturbance in a Hazel Park school. SAC asked CRLI to investigate the issue. CRLI submitted a FOIA request to Hazel Park regarding the ordinance and its enforcement. CRLI discovered that the ordinance was being disproportionately enforced against Black students, and wrote a letter on behalf of SAC to representatives of the City of Hazel Park about the numerous policy and civil rights issues the ordinance raises, and requested repeal or amendment of the ordinance. (Student Attorney: Rebecca Lowy.)
Student Wrongfully Excluded From School

In June 2023, the Student Advocacy Center asked CRLI for assistance in getting one of their clients back into a Metro Detroit school after a suspension. Although the school board had imposed a 36-day suspension, the superintendent refused to give her credit for the 16 days she was kept out of school before the board’s decision. To add insult to injury, the superintendent decided that the student would have to apply to be admitted back into school even though state law only allows schools to require such a process for expulsions, not suspensions. CRLI contacted the school district’s attorney and the problem was immediately resolved so the student could go back to classes the next day.
Due Process for Students Facing Expulsion

In 2022, a local school district expelled a middle school student at a hearing in the middle of the night without giving the student’s family an opportunity to see the evidence against him until after the hearing started. CRLI sent a demand letter to the school board arguing that the family’s due process rights were violated and asking the board to reverse the expulsion. The board granted CRLI’s request and ordered a new hearing. Unfortunately, the board decided to expel the student again despite a vigorous defense by CRLI student attorneys. (Student Attorneys: Saba Khan and Nethra Raman.)
Right to Appeal Expulsions and Long-term Suspensions

The Student Advocacy Center of Michigan’s mission is to keep students in school and to halt the school-to-prison pipeline. To that end, the organization is working cooperatively with several school districts to reform their suspension and expulsion policies. At the request of the Student Advocacy Center, CRLI prepared a memo in 2022 about the myriad of legal and policy reasons for why school codes should guarantee the right to appeal expulsions and long-term suspensions. The memo is being shared widely with the administrations of several school districts. (Student Attorneys: Cosmo Pappas and Rachelle Kredenster.)
Right to Education

Disability Discrimination

Mackinac Island Prohibits Cyclist with Disability from Using Electric Tricycle

Beth Hudson is a cycling enthusiast who uses an adaptive electric tricycle because, following a motorcycle accident, one of her legs was amputated below the knee. Mackinac Island is a cycling mecca, but it does not allow motorized vehicles on the island during the summer. Since it lost a lawsuit in 2003, the island makes an exception to its no-motorized-vehicle rule for people with disabilities by allowing Class 1 e-bikes, which are activated by pedaling. However, it refuses to allow Class 2 e-bikes, which are the same as Class 1 bikes, which are activated by a throttle, instead of by pedaling. Because of her disability Ms. Hudson is not able to safely use a Class 1 bike. In May, CRLI wrote a letter to Mackinaw Island asking for it to abide by the ADA and grant an accommodation. The parties are now working to develop a policy to settle the matter for all people with disabilities. In the meantime, Ms. Hudson may use her tricycle on the island. (Student Attorneys: Jacqueline Ingrassia, Samantha Houghton, Mara Horn, Alexander Votta, David Seaman, Malcolm Phelan, and Hannah Juge).
West Michigan Restaurant Refuses to Accommodate Customers with Disabilities

Frank Hollister, a longtime resident of Whitehall who uses a wheelchair, enjoyed frequenting Pekadill’s, a popular local restaurant, with his family. However, Pekakdill’s ignored Mr. Hollister’s repeated requests that the restaurant implement changes to make it easier for people with disabilities to enter the restaurant and use the restroom were ignore. Eventually, he grew frustrated and contacted CRLI. In spring of 2024, after months of demand letters and correspondence with Pickdill’s lawyer, the owners renovated an entrance to make it accessible, installed grab bars in the bathroom, and installed a sink that a person in a wheelchair could use. Additionally, in response to a CRLI request, the city of Whitehall created an accessible parking spot next to the restaurant. (Student Attorneys: Hannah Juge, Brendan Jackson, Julia Kahn, and Derek Zeigler.)
Apartment Complex Forbids the Installation of Grab Bars in the Shower

In 2019 Donald Davenport applied for an apartment in Oakland County. Because he has a mobility and balance impairment called progressive supranuclear palsy, he asked for permission from the apartment complex to place drilled-in grab bars in the shower at his own expense. The apartment complex said that suction cup grab bars were sufficient and further stated that grab bars screwed into the wall could not be used in this apartment unit. In 2020 CRLI filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Mr. Davenport arguing that the apartment complex failed to accommodate him as required by the Fair Housing Act and that the suction grab bars were insufficient for his needs. The Defendant denied liability and informed Mr. Davenport that if he wanted an apartment unit with screwed in grab bars, he would have to wait for a different apartment unit. Fortunately, the parties worked together to reach a settlement which included, among other things, an anti-discrimination policy on the website, fair housing training, and a disability rights notice on the application. (Student Attorneys: Will Walker, Will Brodt, Patrick McDonnell, and Erica Becker.)
Landlord Forbids Wheelchair Ramp

When Sheila Ashley was searching for an apartment in her hometown of Monroe, she identified an apartment in an excellent location within her price range. Since Ms. Ashley uses a wheelchair, she asked if she would be able to install a wheelchair ramp. The rental agent complained that the ramp would be an eyesore and later refused to let her know when other apartments were available. Testing by the FHC confirmed that the landlord had a discriminatory practice. In July 2020, CRLI successfully negotiated a monetary settlement to resolve the case prior to filing. (Student Attorneys: Will McCartney, Claire Shimberg, and Natalie Treacy.)
Condo Complex Fails to Accommodate Resident’s Disability by Timely Removing Snow and Ice from Sidewalks

Sonia Raheja moved to the Arbor Chase Condo complex to live in a safer environment than her prior multi-level home. Shortly after moving, however, Ms. Raheja found navigating the sidewalks and roads around her new condo difficult during winter months due to Arbor Chase’s inadequate snow removal and salting. Ms. Raheja lives with epilepsy and disability-related balance issues that make walking, particularly walking on slippery surfaces, dangerous. In January 2023, a couple of days after a big snowstorm, Ms. Raheja slipped on ice and broke her wrist, as well as incurring a number of other injuries. CRLI wrote a letter in the to the Arbor Chase Board demanding that it comply with the Fair Housing Act by ensuring that the sidewalks near Ms. Reheja’s apartment were promptly cleared of snow and ice after snowstorms. (Student attorneys: Hannah Juge, and Michelle Wolk.)

Rights of Persons Confined to Prison

Retaliation for Seeking Help from an Attorney

Possible Retaliation for Writing about Conditions in Prison. CRLI is currently working with a talented writer who is confined to the Michigan Department of Correction. Following the publication of some of his articles about conditions and life in prison, he was transferred to another, more remote facility, and denied some mail from one of his publishers. We filed a FOIA request on behalf of the writer and are waiting for the documents. (Student attorneys: David Seaman and Lyllian Simmerly.)
Retaliation for Seeking Help from an Attorney

In 2021 and 2022, CRLI represented a woman confined at Huron Valley Correctional Facility who, after speaking with attorneys about participating in a lawsuit about COVID in the prison, was moved to a cell covered with blood, hair, and fecal matter. Thanks to CRLI’s advocacy, the county prosecutor wrote a letter to the warden warning about the potential consequence of retaliating against a person for exercising their First Amendment rights. The student attorneys also explored several options to challenge her conviction and sentence. (Student Attorneys: Rihan Issa, Audrey Hertzberg, Ben Mordechai-Strongin, Hannah Greenhouse, Jonah Rosenbaum, and Will Brodt.)

Worker’s Rights

Right to Compensation for Violations of the Michigan Constitution

CRLI provided legal research for lawyers representing a class of unemployment recipients in the Michigan Supreme Court. The government, without due process, wrongfully seized money from hundreds of unemployed workers based on a faulty automated system that falsely accused them of receiving too high an unemployment benefit. In a critically important decision that will help countless civil rights victims, the Michigan Supreme Court held for the first time that, under most circumstances, a person recover money damages for violations of rights protected by the Michigan Constitution. (Bauserman v. Unemployment Insurance Agency; Student Attorney: Amy Ciardiello.)