Kathryn (Kate) E. Fort is the Director of Clinics at Michigan State University College of Law and runs the Indian Law Clinic, where she teaches the Clinic class and other classes in federal Indian law. In 2015, she started the Indian Child Welfare Act Appellate Project, which represents tribes in complex ICWA litigation across the country. She is the author of American Indian Children and the Law, published by Carolina Academic Press. Prof. Fort has researched and written extensively on the Indian Child Welfare Act. Her publications include articles in the Harvard Public Health Review, George Mason Law Review, Family Law Quarterly, Saint Louis University Law Journal, American Indian Law Review as well as chapters in Critical Race Judgements (Cambridge University Press, 2022) and Child Welfare Law and Practice (National Assoc. of Counsel for Children, 2023), both with Matthew L.M. Fletcher. She co-edited Facing the Future: The Indian Child Welfare Act at 30 (Michigan State University Press 2009) and she is a contributing editor to the Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law. She is an original contributor to the Indian law blog, Turtle Talk. Prof. Fort has provided direct representation to tribes in the Washington, Colorado, and Michigan Supreme Courts, the Ohio, Illinois, and Tennessee Court of Appeals, the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, as well as the United States Supreme Court. More recently she obtained significant funding to start the Tribal Appellate Clerk Project which, as part of the Indian Law Clinic, allows law students to assist tribal appellate courts by providing research and memos on appellate tribal cases.

 

Prof. Fort graduated magna cum laude in from Michigan State University College of Law with the Certificate in Indigenous Law and is licensed to practice law in Michigan. She received her B.A. in History with honors from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia.

 

 

We are grateful to the following Rotarians and their spouses who have made this significant commitment that will be transformational to our Club's grantmaking - forever!  They have designated The Rotary Club of Lansing Foundation Endowment in memory of Jack Bates at the Community Foundation in their estate plan or made a cash gift of $10,000 or more to this fund.

 

The following member has recently elected to resign from our club.

A total of $45,000.00 was approved by the Rotary Club of Lansing Foundation Board for International Grants from the committee.  Each week we will highlight one of the non-profits receiving our checks.
 

The Rotary Club of Lansing called our Friday meeting to order at 12:30 pm.

 

President Rebecca led a recitation of the four-way test.

 

The reflection of the day was done by Jenny Marr. She wished everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day.

 

This is a day to reflect on how we can put more love in to the world. When we feel like we have lost control, let’s focus on the things that we CAN control.

 

Our small, simple and unexpected gestures can have a monumental effect on others. Acts of generosity done for no other reason than to make people feel special – random acts of kindness.

 

Kindness improves self esteem and mood, connectivity, combats loneliness, and is contagious. Looking for ways to show kindness shifts your mood away from being anxious. Talking to yourself with a kind voice, giving yourself time to have some downtime.

 

Some of the random acts of kindness Jenny suggested: donate old towels, say hi to the person in the elevator, let someone go in front of you in line, encounter someone in customer service who is especially kind and tell their manager, leave unused coupons by products, make sure each person in a group conversation feels included, write a kind sticky note and place on the mirror, return shopping carts, pick up other trash, put 20 paper hearts in a box and put these affirmations away for a bad day, take flowers or treats to the nurses station, send a thank you note to your community service providers, run an errand for a family friend who is buys, look for ways to volunteer instead of being waited to ask, write to a former teacher/mentor, when you hear a discouraging voice, speak to it with kindness.

 

Our patriotic song for the day was the Star Spangled Banner.

 

Lisa Smith stepped in to pass the microphone around for guests.

 

Our Assistant District Governor Chris Lewis was our only guest for the day.

 

The local grants application process will open on Monday, February 17th and remain open until March 21st. If you know of a local organization, that link will be live next week. We have just under $70,000 available to give out. Up to $10,000 each.

 

The DEI Committee met after the meeting.

 

There is a service project at the Greater Lansing Food Bank on Wednesday, February 19th from 9-11 am.

 

Past President Nick Heriford proposed a slate of officers for the upcoming year beginning July 1:

Chris Holman seconded Rebecca’s motion to add these directors to the board. No discussion. Everyone voted yes! No naysayers!

 

Nathan Triplett is chair of the month and introduced today’s speaker, Kristen Staley, Executive Director of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission.

 

First Rotary meeting for Kristen!

 

Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) is essentially public defense for people in the state of Michigan. She brought her regional manager as well as our local public defense officer.

 

What is public defense? They are a newer agency within the state of Michigan.

 

Landmark case of Gideon vs. Wainright over sixty years ago provided the constitutional right to have a public defender. 60 years ago, it was then told from the federal government that the states had to provide this right. However, there was no funding attached so there wasn’t really a way to implement this policy. To achieve Gideon’s promise, it has taken time to get funding for these resources here in Michigan.

 

There is a lot of data showing we have lots of people who are wrongly accused. Race to the Bottom is a study that showed how bad it was in Michigan. People weren’t able to see attorneys, these people were overworked, get paid basically no money. It was a nightmare.

 

The ACLU filed suit against the state of Michigan and eventually in 2013 the MIDC Act was created.

 

The MIDC is required by statute to:

Ther are 19 commissioners on the MIDC, with representation from Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan House of Reps, Michigan Senate, State Budget Office, Michigan Judges Assn, Michigan District Judges Association, State Bar of Michigan, Criminal Defense Assn of Michigan, Prosecuting Attorney Association of Michigan, MI Association of Counties and the General Public.

 

Eighteen staff members support the 19 commissioners and 133 funding units across Michigan.

 

Senior regional manager and six regional managers are experienced defenders who provide TA, monitor compliance, and support innovations in public defense.

 

Grants director and two analysts oversee all aspects of compliance grant administration, financial data oversight and annual auditing.

 

Training director, grant funded project manager and compliance analyst host training events and oversee annual education requirements for all defenders.

 

Research director and analyst help with case management systems, collect and assess compliance date to improve local practices.

o Approved 2017, implemented in 2019

o Approved 2017, implemented in 2019

o Approved 2017, implemented in 2019

o Approved 2017, implemented in 2019

o Approved in 2022, implemented in 2022

o Approved 2023, to be implemented in 2025

o Approved 2023, to be implemented in 2025

o Approved 2022, implemented in 2024

 

The fiscal year 2025 funding is at $296.3M, this is up from $259.7M in 2024. This money is going to PEOPLE.

 

MIDC Grants Categorical Spending – 2024

They are doing a lot of work to recruit the next generation of public defenders. Working with colleges but also going in to high school for mock trials.

 

Compliance monitoring of MIDC standards and policy is multifaceted and year round.

 

MIDC is having an impact on the statewide criminal legal system.

 

From 2019 to 2022 trial verdicts on felony cases increased by 54%. Data shows many felony and misdemeanor trials increased occurring specifically in systems with public defender offices that opened starting in 2019.

 

From 2019 to 2023, interlocutory appeals initiated by indigent defenders increased by 250%. Traditionally trial attorneys rarely engaged in interlocutory appeals due to lack of training, little to no resources, or time to conduct the work.

 

MIDC grants are changing the culture of public defense.

 

Statewide use of experts in 1654 cases, an increase of about 25% from last year. 280% increase in requests for experts and investigators for indigent clients in Wayne country from 2020-2023.

 

MIDC grants support 77 non-attorney client advocates or social workers in 39 counties. Holistic defense – use of social workers) is shows to reduce the chance of incarceration by 16% and sentencing length by 24%. In partnership with Wayne State University Law School, the MIDC developed a Holistic Defense Fellowship Program, the first of its kind in the U.S.

 

Nationally, defense teams with investigators, social workers and experts, are more likely to produce better outcomes. 19% reduced rate of wrongful capital convictions. 62% increased possibility of parole. 24% reduced prison sentence length.

 

Counsel at first appearance saves money and improves lives. When counsel is present:

o The clients are more comfortable, less nervous, and better prepared for not only the arraignment but also when and if they move ahead in the court process

o Pretrial incarceration of even just a few days increases a defendants’ risk of recidivism, nonappearance in court and loss of employment and housing. Quality public defense directly impacts incarceration costs. The midc grants cost about 25% of the $900 million state police budget and 11% of the $2 billion MI Department of Corrections budget. In Michigan, every $1 spent on hiring a new public defender to reduce caseloads is estimated to save $6.31 in incarceration costs.

What's on the to-do list:

Email for Ben Rathbun:  Ben@rathbunagency.com