“The criminal justice system is problematic and needs to be fixed. When someone gets convicted of a crime they didn’t commit, they carry a stigma with them for the rest of their life. Valerie Newman
At WMU-Cooley, it is not enough that our graduates know the law. We want them The event was moderated by to conduct themselves with Zeno Toscas, FBA president. the highest integrity at all Panelists included Tracey times.” Brame, WMU-Cooley Law School assistant dean; Auburn Hills: “Making a Following the symposium, Victoria Vuletich, Murderer” Discussion Senator Bieda and DistinWMU-Cooley professor; Held at Auburn Hills guished Professor Emeritus Ayda Rezaian-Nojani, Campus Norman Fell, founding Innocence Project staff The Criminal Law Society executive director of the attorney; and Jonathan at the Auburn Hills campus WMU-Cooley Innocence Paasch, WMU-Cooley law held the discussion “Making student and Walker police Project, were honored for a Murderer,” addressing officer. The discussion was their contributions to the criminal misconduct in also streamed live to other project’s work. the justice system. The campuses. discussion was led by Grand Rapids: Criminal “The panel was a great veProfessor Erika Breitfeld and Justice Misconduct hicle for bringing real world featured speakers Valerie Discussion Held at criminal misconduct to the Newman, state appellate Grand Rapids Campus law students to realize how defender, and Tommy The Student Federal Bar critical the legal principles Highers, an individual who Association (FBA) at the and ethics they study are,” was wrongfully convicted Grand Rapids campus said WMU-Cooley Professor and then exonerated after 25 presented the panel Victoria Vuletich, who teach- years in prison. discussion, “When the es courses in Professional Highers, who, along with Ethical Boundary is Crossed: Responsibility and Ethics his brother Raymond, was Potential Misconduct in at the law school’s Grand wrongfully convicted in 1987 the Steven Avery Story.” Rapids campus. “Often, the of murder, reflected on his The Steven Avery trial was only thing standing between transition into society after recently highlighted in an innocent person and a being released from prison. the TV series, “Making a miscarriage of justice is an Newman represented the Murderer,” and the panel attorney or judge’s personal Highers brothers in their discussed the trial’s integrity and self awareness. retrial when new evidence appeared in a Facebook post after 18 years. She presented the process of the exoneration case and spoke to students about the misconduct in the justice system that affects exonerees long after being Pictured (left-right) Victoria Vuletich, WMU-Cooley Law School professor; Jonathon Paasch; Walker police officer and WMU-Cooley Law School student; released. the program in the wake of a 2001 Michigan law permitting post-conviction DNA analysis of biological evidence when that evidence is material to the identity of the perpetrator.
potential misconduct in the criminal justice system.
Pictured (front row, left-right) Kami Misch, student; Valerie Newman, state appellate defender; and Megan Leyva; student. Pictured (back row, left-right) Nadia Chami, student; Erika Breitfeld, WMU-Cooley professor; Tommy Highers, wrongfully convicted exoneree; and students Brandon Mungo, Eric Langton, and Alison Brajich.
“The criminal justice system is problematic and needs to be fixed,” said Newman. “When someone gets convicted of a crime they didn’t commit, they carry a stigma with them for the rest of their life. We need to get Senate Bill 291 passed and begin providing Michigan exonerees the help they deserve.” Newman has been proactive in reforming the justice system. She served as the State’s Custodial Interrogation Task Force committee co-chair and lobbied for the custodial interrogation law to be passed. The law requires that all law enforcement agencies make a time-stamped, audiovisual recording of custodial interrogations for certain felonies. “Valerie is a teacher and advocate for improving the criminal justice system,” said Breitfeld. “WMU-Cooley Law School brought this program to our students to show them the importance of how powerful the job of an attorney can be, and Valerie provided students with an instructional example of how to bring a case to justice.”
Ayda Rezaian-Nojani, WMU-Cooley Innocence Project staff attorney.
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