What You Need to Know

• A former judge in the 36th District in Michigan accused the court of firing her for raising concerns around arraignment and search warrant practices.
• A panel on the Sixth Circuit said it was her job to notify court of the issues, so her speech wasn't protected.
• The claims under a Michigan whistleblower statute have not been dismissed.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a former Michigan magistrate judge’s First Amendment retaliation claim in a lawsuit contending she was fired for speaking up about alleged unconstitutional arraignments conducted by her colleagues in the Detroit-based court.

Bari Wood, who was chief magistrate at the 36th District Court, claimed she was terminated in 2020 after expressing concerns to the then-chief judge and court administrator about personnel approving search warrants that lacked “crucial legal requirements” and illegally-conducted arraignment hearings. The American Civil Liberties Union later filed a class action suit against the court and several judges over allegedly unconstitutional cash bail practices, and Wood contends she was fired partly because her past comments threatened her employer’s legal defense.

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Read Full Story: https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2022/02/18/appeals-court-dismisses-1st...