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Introduction
The Declaration of Independence explains that “institut[ing] new Government” requires “laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form” as will accomplish its purpose. To that end, America’s Founders laid a foundation for republican government in which “the people are masters of the government”REF and structured its powers into three separate branches.
While these are designed to be separate and coordinate, the Founders believed that in a republic, the legislative branch, which represents and is elected by the people, “necessarily predominates.”REF The judicial branch, in contrast, would be the “weakest” and “least dangerous” branch because it uses “judgment” rather than “will”REF to settle legal disputes that take the form of actual “Cases” and “Controversies.”REF
Lawsuit Seeks Michigan Public Records
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The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is suing the University of Michigan after the public research university did not fully produce documents sought under a public records request filed 11 months ago.
ACTA, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., includes in its mission making sure universities follow donors’ intent when spending gifts. It filed a Freedom of Information request March 3 of last year seeking email messages related to the Lance J. Johnson Children and Law Workshop at the University of Michigan Law School. That workshop was to be held annually and funded by a gift from a University of Michigan Law School alumnus who says the university only held it sporadically, MLive reported.
Leah Schnyders is a senior at Wheaton College and a Heritage Foundation Academy fellow.
Even in the midst of a global pandemic with many college students off campus in virtual classrooms, debates about free speech in higher education remain a hot topic.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding free speech at public university campuses this year. And last year, the U.S. Department of Education opened investigations into three universities regarding their First Amendment practices. > VIRTUAL EVENT: Learn how university indoctrination started, and how to stop, on Feb. 11. Register here.
For several years now, students and faculty on college campuses have witnessed “shout downs,” where invited speakers’ events were canceled due to student protests.
University of Michigan being sued for FOIA violation, legal complaint states
Updated Feb 02, 2021;
Posted Feb 02, 2021
The seal of the University of Michigan on a sign for the Modern Languages Building, 812 Washington St. on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020.Jacob Hamilton/MLive.com
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ANN ARBOR, MI The University of Michigan is being sued by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni over alleged violations of the Freedom of Information Act.
In December, ACTA filed a complaint in the Michigan Court of Claims on behalf of Lance J. Johnson, a UM Law School graduate who made a gift to the school in 2007. Johnson previously said the gift was for an annual legal seminar to study the feasibility of appointing independent legal counsel for children involved in custody disputes. But Johnson claims the law school only “sporadically” had the workshop.