Eli Savit

Last updated

  Savit
  Savit/Slay tie
  Slay

In May 2019, Savit announced his candidacy for Washtenaw County prosecutor as a Democrat, vowing to "end the era of mass incarceration". [33] Savit's platform included the elimination of cash bail, more support for addiction and mental health treatment programs, and eliminating racial and socioeconomic inequity in the justice system. [33] [5] [12]

Less than two weeks after Savit announced his candidacy, 28-year incumbent prosecutor Brian Mackie announced his retirement. [34] Savit was endorsed by multiple elected officials and community leaders, including former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, State Senator Jeff Irwin, and three previous chairs of the Michigan Democratic Party. [12]

Savit ran for Washtenaw County Prosecutor against two Democratic primary opponents: Arianne Slay and Hugo Mack. [35] Savit's campaign attracted national attention, [36] [37] [38] [39] and he secured endorsements from such high-profile national figures as Senator Bernie Sanders [40] and musician and activist John Legend. [41] On August 4, 2020, Savit won the Democratic primary for Washtenaw County Prosecutor, netting 41,673 votes (51%) compared to 35,380 (43%) for Slay and 5,504 (7%) for Mack. [36]

Savit faced no Republican opposition in the November general election. [42] On November 3, 2020, Savit won the general election, [43] netting 159,998 votes (98.78%), the most votes of any candidate on the ballot in Washtenaw County. [44]

Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney

On November 10, 2020, Savit announced that he would appoint Victoria Burton-Harris as Washtenaw County's Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. [45] Burton-Harris ran for Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney in the August 2020 Democratic primary against long-time incumbent prosecutor Kym Worthy. She is Washtenaw County's first female Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. [45]

In the fall of 2020, Savit announced that the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office would no longer prosecute the use or possession of psychedelic mushrooms or other entheogenic plants. [46] Savit's announcement came on the heels of a City Council resolution in Ann Arbor—Washtenaw County's largest city—that deemed possession, use, and cultivation of entheogenic plants Ann Arbor's "lowest law enforcement priority". [47]

Savit was sworn into office on January 2, 2021. [48] During his first several weeks in office, Savit announced several major policy changes in the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office that garnered national attention. [49]

On January 4, 2021, Savit announced that the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office would no longer seek to hold people pending trial on cash bail. [50] Savit said that "whether someone is jailed should hinge on the threat they pose to the community, not their financial means." [50] Under Savit's policy, prosecutors make individualized recommendations regarding pre-trial release based on the facts of each case, but do not consider a person's wealth when making that recommendation. [50] The announcement of the policy made Washtenaw County the first prosecutor's office in Michigan not to rely on cash bail. [50]

On January 12, 2021, Savit also announced that the Prosecutor's Office would no longer seek charges related to the use, possession, or small-scale distribution of marijuana or entheogenic plants, citing the racially disproportionate impact of the "war on drugs." [51] The next day, Savit announced that the Prosecutor's Office would no longer charge the unauthorized use or possession of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid use disorder. [52] Savit cited research demonstrating that prosecution of buprenorphine leads people in recovery to "backslide" and use more dangerous drugs like fentanyl and heroin. [53] He also noted that opioid overdose deaths fell by 50% when the prosecutor in Chittenden County, Vermont enacted a similar policy. [53]

On January 14, 2021, Savit announced that his office would no longer prosecute consensual sex work, instead focusing on human trafficking, sexual assault, and sexual exploitation of children. [54] Savit cited research demonstrating that the threat of prosecution makes sex workers and survivors of trafficking less likely to report crimes. [54] The move was praised by national advocates as a "win for marginalized people" and trafficked persons. [54]

Savit is partnering with the ACLU and the University of Michigan Law School on the "Prosecutor Transparency Project," a data partnership which will transparently identify racially disparate treatment in the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office. [55] The partnership, which is the first of its kind in Michigan, will make publicly available data related to racial disparities in the justice system. [55]

Electoral history

Eli Savit
Eli Savit Photo (cropped).jpg
Savit in 2020
Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney
Assumed office
January 2, 2021
2020 Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Democratic primary [36]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Eli Savit 41,673 50.5
Democratic Arianne Slay35,38042.9
Democratic Hugo Mack5,5046.7
Total votes82,557 100.0
2020 Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney general election [44]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Eli Savit 159,998 98.78
Write-in Rejected write-ins1,9781.22
Total votes161,976 100.0

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washtenaw County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Washtenaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat and largest city is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw County comprises the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is home to the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, and Concordia University Ann Arbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Murphy</span> American judge (1890–1949)

William Francis Murphy was an American politician, lawyer, and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving as United States Attorney General, 35th Governor of Michigan, and Mayor of Detroit. He also served as the last Governor-General of the Philippines and the first High Commissioner to the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Cox (American politician)</span> American politician and lawyer

Michael Anthony Cox is an American attorney and politician who served as Michigan's 52nd Attorney General from 2003 to 2011. He was the first Republican to hold that office since Frank Millard in 1955. Cox took office in 2003 and won re-election in 2006. Jennifer Granholm, who went on to become the Governor of Michigan, preceded him in office.

Lawrence Kestenbaum is an attorney, politician, and the creator and webmaster of The Political Graveyard website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Schuette</span> American politician

William Duncan Schuette is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd attorney general of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Senate in 1990 and for Governor of Michigan in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

Kym Loren Worthy is an American lawyer and politician serving as the prosecutor of Wayne County, Michigan since 2004. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first African-American woman to serve as a county prosecutor in Michigan. She is most noted for prosecuting then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick at the beginning of March 2008.

John Edwin "Jay" Steele is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Michigan</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Michigan enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Michigan under the US Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage is legal. Discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity is unlawful since July 2022, was re-affirmed by the Michigan Supreme Court - under and by a 1976 statewide law, that explicitly bans discrimination "on the basis of sex". The Michigan Civil Rights Commission have also ensured that members of the LGBT community are not discriminated against and are protected in the eyes of the law since 2018 and also legally upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court in 2022. In March 2023, a bill passed the Michigan Legislature by a majority vote - to formally codify both "sexual orientation and gender identity" anti-discrimination protections embedded within Michigan legislation. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the bill on March 16, 2023. In 2024, Michigan repealed “the last ban on commercial surrogacy within the US” - for individuals and couples and reformed the parentage laws, that acknowledges same sex couples and their families with children.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Michigan since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015. The U.S. state of Michigan had previously banned the recognition of same-sex unions in any form after a popular vote added an amendment to the Constitution of Michigan in 2004. A statute enacted in 1996 also banned both the licensing of same-sex marriages and the recognition of same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions.

Diane Marie Hathaway is a former Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Hathaway, a Democrat, was elected on November 4, 2008, to an 8-year term which commenced in January 2009. Hathaway retired from the court effective January 21, 2013, after being charged with felony criminal mortgage fraud, to which Hathaway pleaded guilty on January 29, 2013, and was sentenced to a year in prison.

Derek E. Miller is the former Treasurer of Macomb County, Michigan. Previously, he was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2014 and served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Macomb County, a role he returned to in 2017. Miller is currently awaiting trial on charges related to public corruption in the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office.

Jeff Irwin is an American activist, progressive and politician serving as a member of the Michigan Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, he served on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners from 1999 to 2010, and in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017.

Eric Smith is a former Macomb County Prosecutor and convicted criminal. He resigned on March 30, 2020, after criminal charges were filed against him.

Thomas L. Leonard III is an American attorney and politician. He is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives who served as Speaker of the House from 2017 to 2019. Elected in 2012 to succeed term-limited Paul Opsommer, Leonard represented the residents of Clinton and Gratiot County. Prior to that, he worked as a prosecutor. Leonard unsuccessfully ran for Michigan Attorney General in 2018 and was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.

Larry Charles Inman is an American politician in the Republican Party who formerly represented the 104th District—which includes Grand Traverse County—in the Michigan House of Representatives after being elected in November 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Nessel</span> American politician and lawyer (born 1969)

Dana Michelle Nessel is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 54th Attorney General of Michigan since January 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyra Harris Bolden</span> American judge (born 1988)

Kyra Harris Bolden is an American judge, politician, and civil litigation attorney. She has served as an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court since January 1, 2023. Bolden was a Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives for the 35th district from January 1, 2019 to January 1, 2023.

Karen Diane McDonald is an American lawyer and politician currently serving as the prosecuting attorney of Oakland County, Michigan, and formerly as a judge on Michigan's 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Michigan Proposal 3</span> Abortion and contraception initiative

2022 Michigan Proposal 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative, also known as Reproductive Freedom for All, was a citizen-initiated proposed constitutional amendment in the state of Michigan, which was voted on as part of the 2022 Michigan elections. The amendment, which passed, codified reproductive rights, including access to abortion, in the Constitution of Michigan.

References

  1. ↑ "Prosecutor Eli Savit". Washtenaw County, Michigan .
  2. ↑ Lat, David. "Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Are Any Spots Left For October Term 2014?". Above the Law. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  3. ↑ "MLaw alum earns coveted Supreme Court clerkship". www.law.umich.edu. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  4. ↑ https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/almID/1202741313199/
  5. 1 2 Editor, Sarah Payne Summer News. "In Conversation: Eli Savit, candidate for Washtenaw County Prosecutor". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 22, 2020.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ↑ Ferretti, Christine. "Detroit suits seek $30 million in unpaid property taxes". Detroit News . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Detroit suing 700 property investors for unpaid taxes". Crain's Detroit Business. August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Michigan law shielding drug makers draws scrutiny amid opioid crisis". Detroit News. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Detroit backs DPS students in literacy fight". Detroit News. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  10. ↑ "In Detroit, a battle over the right to literacy". Marketplace. August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  11. ↑ Levin, Koby (May 21, 2020). "Inside the Detroit right-to-read case: How a settlement came together and a groundbreaking precedent fell apart". Chalkbeat Detroit . Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Ypsi Votes: Eli Savit's campaign for prosecutor focuses on large structural reforms". The Eastern Echo . Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Savit, Eli - University of Michigan Law School". www.law.umich.edu. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ Stafford, Kat. "Detroit church in path of Gordie Howe Bridge will be demolished, leaving only memories". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  15. ↑ Ferretti, Christine; Rahal, Sarah. "Detroit council OKs protections for those near bridge". Detroit News . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Foreclosures to be sold back to owners in ACLU, city settlement". Detroit News. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  17. ↑ "ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund Settle Tax Foreclosure Case, Enabling Low-Income Detroiters in Foreclosure to Keep Their Homes for $1,000". ACLU of Michigan. October 31, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  18. ↑ Reynolds, Matt (July 5, 2018). "Distressed Detroit Homeowners Settle Tax-Foreclosure Lawsuit" . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Federal funding for child care in Michigan: How should the unexpected $63 million be used?". Chalkbeat . February 7, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  20. ↑ "The New Front in the Clean Air Wars: Fossil-Fuel Influence Over State Attorneys General- and How It Might Be Checked | Michigan Law Review" . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  21. ↑ Savit, Eli (April 1, 2019). "States Empowering Plaintiff Cities". University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform. 52 (3): 581–614. doi: 10.36646/mjlr.52.3.states . ISSN   0363-602X. S2CID   159427044.
  22. ↑ Bagley, Nicholas; Savit, Eli (May 8, 2018). "Opinion | Michigan's Discriminatory Work Requirements". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  23. ↑ Savit, Eli (November 8, 2019). "Opinion | Detroit's Schools Are Unconstitutionally Unequal (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Bias against LGBT is on basis of 'sex'". Detroit News . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Other views on Michigan Supreme Court gun decision". Detroit News. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  26. ↑ Manville, Dan; Savit, Eli; Jahner, Monica. "Opinion: Fast-track release of lifers sentenced as children". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Eli Savit". Slate Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  28. ↑ Tan, Anjelica (December 31, 2018). "States must empower city attorneys". TheHill . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  29. ↑ Writer, Guest (February 1, 2016). "Why Detroit schools are crumbling - look at state's funding foundation". M Live . Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Eli Savit | Take Care". takecareblog.com. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  31. ↑ "ACLU urges State Supreme Court to reject the legislature's attempt to undermine voters". ACLU of Michigan. June 19, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  32. ↑ Staff, B. T. L. "MI Civil Rights Commission Takes Action on Anti-LGBT Discrimination". Pride Source. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  33. 1 2 Stanton, Ryan (May 29, 2019). "Reformist candidate launches campaign for Washtenaw County prosecutor". mlive.com. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Longtime Washtenaw prosecutor Brian Mackie says 'it is time' to retire". mlive. June 10, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  35. ↑ "A Pivotal Race for Prosecuting Attorney - Three very different candidates promise to transform the criminal justice system". Ann Arbor Observer. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  36. 1 2 3 "Reformist candidate Eli Savit wins closely watched Washtenaw County prosecutor race". mlive. August 5, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Progressives Score New Wins in Prosecutor Elections, Adding to the Movement's Breadth". The Appeal Political Report. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Portland, Oregon's Seismic DA Result Demands Our Attention". Filter. May 21, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  39. ↑ "The "Progressive Prosecutor" Movement Spreads, But Unevenly". Filter. August 19, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Bernie Sanders endorses Eli Savit for Washtenaw County prosecutor". mlive. June 5, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  41. ↑ Editor, Julia Rubin Summer News. "John Legend endorses Eli Savit for Washtenaw County prosecutor". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 22, 2020.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  42. ↑ Fair, David. "Eli Savit Prepping For Major Reforms In Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office". www.wemu.org. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  43. ↑ Morrison | AP, Aaron. "Advocates of overhauling criminal justice cheer multiple election victories". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  44. 1 2 "Official Election Results: Washtenaw County, Michigan, Nov. 3, 2020".
  45. 1 2 "Washtenaw County prosecutor-elect names first female assistant chief". mlive. November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  46. ↑ Jaeger, Kyle (September 29, 2020). "Michigan Prosecutor Won't Pursue Psychedelics Possession Cases Following Local Decriminalization Vote". Marijuana Moment. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  47. ↑ "Ann Arbor decriminalizes magic mushrooms, psychedelic plants". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Savit sworn in as Washtenaw County prosecutor, begins work to reshape justice system". mlive. January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  49. ↑ "Sex Work and Magic Mushrooms Won't Be Prosecuted Anymore in This Michigan County". www.vice.com. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  50. 1 2 3 4 Jackson, Angie. "New Washtenaw County prosecutor will stop seeking cash bail". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  51. ↑ "Washtenaw prosecutor won't charge people for marijuana, shrooms, other psychedelics". mlive. January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  52. ↑ "Washtenaw prosecutor won't charge people for unauthorized use of opioid-addiction drug". mlive. January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  53. 1 2 "Buprenorphine Policy | Washtenaw County, MI". www.washtenaw.org. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  54. 1 2 3 Jackson, Angie. "Washtenaw County will no longer prosecute consensual sex work". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  55. 1 2 Bruckner, Meredith (January 5, 2021). "Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit launches transparency project with U-M, ACLU". WDIV. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.