Judicial Deceit: Tyranny and Unnecessary Secrecy at the Michigan Supreme Court
Chief Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver (retired 2010) served nearly 36 years on the bench: twelve years as a probate/juvenile judge in Leelanau County; eight years as a Court of Appeals judge, and nearly sixteen years as a justice (two as chief justice) on the Michigan Supreme Court. She was elected and re-elected—never appointed—by the people of Michigan to each judgeship. This daughter of New Orleans came north to pursue her dream of helping young people through education, justice, and law. She has made her home in Glen Arbor along the shores of Lake Michigan. Since her arrival, she has worked in both a private school (teaching French and serving as a dean of women students), and in a public school (teaching first grade), as an attorney, and as a judge and justice. As a member of the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame (inducted 2005), Weaver was recognized as “the people’s justice” for her integrity and devotion to the law. An advocate for the open and transparent administration of justice in the courts, she has been known for her principled stands against ideology and political chicanery on the bench—against misuse and abuse of government power. Her motto is “Do Right and Fear Not.” Her website, www.justiceweaver.com, lists many of her recognitions and activities, including a serious interest in golf.David B. Schock, Ph.D., is a former newspaper reporter and editor, and university and college professor. He earned his doctorate under the direction of Dr. Russell Kirk, perhaps America’s leading conservative thinker and historian of ideas. Schock also is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who specializes in chronicling unsolved homicides. He is best known forWho Killed Janet Chandler?, a 2004 film about the 25-year-old unsolved homicide of a Hope College student. The film led to the formation of a cold-case team that spent the next 18 months cracking the case. Six people went to prison as a result. He also is the auteur ofJack in the Box,Finding Diane, andInto the Dark. His website, www.delayedjustice.com, lists many of Michigan’s unsolved homicides. He also makes films about poets includingJump Back Honey: The Poetry and Performance of Herbert Woodward MartinandStarbyStar: Naomi Long Madgett, Poet &  Publisher. Schock also is an active jazz trumpet player and appears with The River Rogues, a traditional Dixieland group.