Satawa Law, PLLC. recently has won another Title IX hearing, as the office for title 9 and institutional equity at University in Western Michigan “unanimously determined that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the responded engaged in sexual assault or sexual harassment.”Read More

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A Federal Judge dismissed the serious charges against seven members of the Michigan Militia Group known as the Hutaree yesterday in a 28-page opinion and order. The Defense team of Mark Satawa, Bill Swor, Jim Thomas, Art Weiss, Mike Rataj, Rick Helfrick, Todd Shanker, Henry Scharg, Mike Naughton, and Harry Mihas, had filed a series of Rule 29 Motions for Directed Motions on Friday, followed by a full day hearing on Monday. The Judge ruled that the defendant’s actions were protected by the 1st Amendment rights to free speech and…Read More

Michigan appellate courts continue to ignore the need to protect the rights of the accused and prevent false convictions of the innocent in sex crimes cases. In April, a three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals said “plainly erroneous” jury instructions were insufficient to overturn the conviction of Jeffrey Eisen on multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct. This follows a Michigan Supreme Court decision last July declaring that a “constitutional error” in misinforming a jury was not grounds to reverse a sex crimes conviction. Eisen was tried and convicted…Read More

On January 13, 2011, Mark A. Satawa presented along with attorney Joe Simon of Simon & Geherin PLLC for the Institute for Continuing Legal Education seminar on Proven Defense Strategies for Challenging Criminal Sexual Conduct Cases. The seminar was moderated by attorney Novia M. Gonzalez-Nichols of Gonzalez-Nichols & Nichols. The seminar was described by ICLE as a “fast-paced, entertaining webcast featuring leading criminal defense experts discussing their tried and true practical tips for defending criminal sexual conduct cases.” The seminar covered a wide range of practical topics and practice hints on defending child sexual assault…Read More

I have been charged in Federal Court with a “Complaint”? What does that mean, and what will happen? Whether you are a first time offender or a career criminal, these questions can cripple any federal defendant. Not knowing the answers to these questions can make it difficult for you to sleep or leave you unable to eat as you worry about what your future might be. All of these are natural responses when you have unanswered questions about pending federal criminal charges. In this blog, I will address the legal…Read More

The case against actor and comedian Bill Cosby recently brought one of the most controversial issues in criminal law into the forefront of the public’s mind. That is, whether a jury should hear about someone’s past conduct at trial? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in Cosby’s case, focusing on this very question. As highlighted by this article (Link: http://detroitnews.mi.newsmemory.com/?publink=0d36ccde8) this debate has been central to the high profile prosecutions of Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and other public figures. Importantly, however, it frequently becomes an issue in the average, run…Read More

News of six men accused of planning to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Esther Whitmer has been circling news outlets for the past few days. They were allegedly plotting to kidnap Whitmer outside of her northern Michigan vacation home. One of the accused is Ty Garbin and attorney Mark Satawa of Satawa Law PLLC has been hired by his family to represent him in federal court. Mr. Satawa will be part of the defense team, as they seek pretrial release for Mr. Garbin at his continued detention hearing on Friday, October…Read More

With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading throughout the country, and certainly within our jails in prisons, one of the questions at the top of many minds is whether or not a federal inmate in the BOP can get relief on his sentence under the compassionate release statute and the First Step Act because of the coronavirus. The short answer is yes, maybe, but there are several specific and unique factors to consider in each individual case. Traditionally and for years, a federal criminal sentence could only be amended in one of…Read More

“An accused student’s rights must be guaranteed — not left open for interpretation. . . . Imposing a suspension, prior to a hearing and adjudication is unconstitutional.” John Doe v University of Michigan, et al, Case No. 18-11776, March 23, 2020. That does not appear to be a sweeping or controversial statement – at least it shouldn’t be. But unfortunately in 2020, with the current environment on campuses everywhere, a federal judge must write an opinion that reminds college administrators of this basic premise – one central to the entire legal…Read More

Mark A. Satawa Has Been Nominated and Accepted as a 2019 AIOCLA’s 10 Best in Michigan For Client Satisfaction The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys has recognized the exceptional performance of Michigan’s Criminal Law Attorney Mark A. Satawa as 2019 10 Best Criminal Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction. The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys is a third-party attorney rating organization that publishes an annual list of the Top 10 Criminal Law attorneys in each state. Attorneys who are selected to the “10 Best” list must pass AIOCLA’s rigorous…Read More

Everyone should be clear about what Title IX disciplinary hearings are about. The typical Title IX case is one student accusing a fellow student of a “date rape” type sexual assault, following a date, or a night of drinking at the bar. They are NOT about Larry Nassar. Let’s make this clear – Nassar was a monster. I like Elisa Slotkin, and I am not a big fan of Education Secretary DeVoss. But the reforms DeVoss introduced to bring Title IX hearings back under control are a huge step in the…Read More

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