Eli Savit

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  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
Incumbent
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

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References

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  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/ [ bare URL ]
  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.
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