Detroit 36th District Judge Lydia Adams had some concerns the court was violating the constitutional rights of some defendants, so she wrote an email to court administrators, judges, magistrates and the Justice Department.
The practice she was concerned about was halted, but it certainly is an issue worth noting.
WDIV's Kevin Dietz reports on the matter.
Dietz reports that hundreds of people who miss their court date at 36th District Court have a bench warrant issued for their arrest.
He reports when they find that out they want to get into court as quickly as possible.
So court administrators created a court for walk-ins with no appointment necessary.
The problem, she said, was that those who came to that court were given only one option, to plead guilty and pay a fine. She said they weren't given due process and explained what their other options were.
WDIV reports that Adams said it looked like a money grab.
“When you are encouraging house counsel to tell people to plead guilty, that’s a problem,” she told WDIV. “Just trying to make it so people could pay money and get out. That’s what I had noticed and I wanted to see it for myself.”
Dietz reports that Adams put on her civilian clothes and went to observe.
“Some of them were being directed to have people plead guilty. It was kind of an all-or-nothing case,” Adams said. “It’s a big deal, and constitutional rights, I felt, were being violated.”
“We need a factual basis before you plead guilty,” she said.
Court administrators stopped the walk-in policy after Adams expressed concerns, Dietz reports, and said it was an attempt to deal with the massive case load.
