Transparency about the information, individuals and contractors behind the State of Michigan's COVID-19 response is critical to the public interest — and our collective future.
Excellent job. You are working in the weeds on one of the largest problems our society faces. Heroic work.
Your complaint looks good. I used to be a litigator and you've done a better job than lots of licensed attorneys I faced.
I hope you can find a lawyer. Keep looking. You might face a barrage of motions on technical matters and need someone with experience. Someone out there should be willing to help for free. Meanwhile, remember that one of the main skills in litigation is self-confidence. And you can go toe-to-toe with anyone when justice is on your side.
(I'm kinda in limbo right now or I would offer to volunteer to help. I may get back to you on that.)
Thank you so much! Writing that complaint was HARD, but it felt really rewarding once it was filed and I'm proud of it.
You would think that finding a lawyer to help with a FOIA case like this one would be easy, but it hasn't been. Even back in 2021, countless attorneys were happy to make critical comments about the FOIA process in Michigan when I reached out to them for help with other requests (like the exorbitant fees I was being quoted for limited amounts of information), but not a single one was willing to actually get in the ring and help. The general attitude was always, "Oh yeah, that's just how things are, kid. Bummer." My take is that rolling over or scoffing at legal deficiencies without participating in defending the spirit of those laws -- especially when someone is in the unique position to do so -- leaves everyone worse off. That said, the last three years have been really, really disillusioning. But the adversity also helped me find a level of strength, and occasionally intelligence, that I didn't realize existed in myself, so I guess that's the silver lining.
I'll be able to say more once I file my response in the next week or so, but I agree that I will probably be facing some sophisticated legal pushback and maybe an appeal if I prevail. I'm bracing myself for it already. Thank you so much for the advice about self-confidence and justice -- I really appreciate that. :)
Excellent job. You are working in the weeds on one of the largest problems our society faces. Heroic work.
Your complaint looks good. I used to be a litigator and you've done a better job than lots of licensed attorneys I faced.
I hope you can find a lawyer. Keep looking. You might face a barrage of motions on technical matters and need someone with experience. Someone out there should be willing to help for free. Meanwhile, remember that one of the main skills in litigation is self-confidence. And you can go toe-to-toe with anyone when justice is on your side.
(I'm kinda in limbo right now or I would offer to volunteer to help. I may get back to you on that.)
Thank you so much! Writing that complaint was HARD, but it felt really rewarding once it was filed and I'm proud of it.
You would think that finding a lawyer to help with a FOIA case like this one would be easy, but it hasn't been. Even back in 2021, countless attorneys were happy to make critical comments about the FOIA process in Michigan when I reached out to them for help with other requests (like the exorbitant fees I was being quoted for limited amounts of information), but not a single one was willing to actually get in the ring and help. The general attitude was always, "Oh yeah, that's just how things are, kid. Bummer." My take is that rolling over or scoffing at legal deficiencies without participating in defending the spirit of those laws -- especially when someone is in the unique position to do so -- leaves everyone worse off. That said, the last three years have been really, really disillusioning. But the adversity also helped me find a level of strength, and occasionally intelligence, that I didn't realize existed in myself, so I guess that's the silver lining.
I'll be able to say more once I file my response in the next week or so, but I agree that I will probably be facing some sophisticated legal pushback and maybe an appeal if I prevail. I'm bracing myself for it already. Thank you so much for the advice about self-confidence and justice -- I really appreciate that. :)