Latest news with #MichiganCourtofClaims
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Court pauses new energy efficiency building standards amid legal challenge from Michigan builders
Getty Images The Michigan Court of Claims has issued a pause on implementing new energy efficiency requirements for new homes, following a challenge from two home builders associations arguing the new stipulations would increase construction costs and drive up costs for homebuyers. In their complaint, the Home Builders Association of Michigan and the Michigan Manufactured Homes Association argued the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs failed to meet cost-effectiveness requirements. In order for construction codes to be considered cost effective, the costs of an improvement must be recovered by the benefits they would bring within seven years. The department must also ensure that qualified buyers are not priced out by the new standards and that the costs of principal, interest, taxes, insurance and utilities will not be greater than they were under the previous energy efficiency rules. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX While the new rules, set to take effect on Aug. 29, 2025, would update Michigan's residential construction code and its uniform energy code using the 2021 edition of the International Residential Code, in a Monday order signed by Court of Claims Judge James Robert Redford, the department agreed with the builders associations to hold off on implementing the codes until this case has been resolved. The department will also remove links to access the 2021 Michigan Residential Code Book – which includes the changes at question – from its website. Through the duration of the case, the 2015 version of the International Residential Code and the residential provisions of the 2015 International Energy Code, will continue to dictate energy efficiency requirements for Michigan builders.
Fox News
14-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Swing state judge strikes down 24-hour abortion waiting period as unconstitutional
A Michigan judge ruled on Tuesday that the state's 24-hour waiting period and informed consent rules restricting abortion were unconstitutional. The waiting period, which allows abortion-seekers to consider their options before the procedure, was voted into the state constitution by Michigan voters in 2022, before being challenged in a 2024 lawsuit filed by abortion rights groups. "The mandatory delay exacerbates the burdens that patients experience seeking abortion care, including by increasing costs, prolonging wait times, increasing the risk that a patient will have to disclose their decision to others, and potentially forcing the patient to forgo a medication abortion for a more invasive procedure," state Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel wrote in her opinion. Patel also ruled it was unconstitutional to ban nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants from performing abortions. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a post on X that she was "overjoyed" with the decision. "I'm overjoyed to say that the Michigan Court of Claims has seen these restrictive provisions for what they are: an unconstitutional overreach that infringes on our constitutional right to make our own reproductive health decisions," Whitmer wrote. "Today's ruling reaffirms what we already know: reproductive health decisions belong between a patient and their doctor, not the government. I'm proud to know that this Women's Health Week, we can celebrate by protecting and expanding women's fundamental rights and freedoms." Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO Paul Long said the intent of the proposal was to grant constitutional protections to "an industry that places itself above the health and safety of women and the lives of pre-born children." "This decision is a tragic reminder that the normalization of abortion in Michigan exists to the detriment of some 31,000 children every year who will never have the opportunity to experience the gift and blessings of life," Long wrote in a statement. "Now, more than ever, we encourage others to envision a world where human life at every stage – from conception to a natural end – is truly cherished and protected, where expecting mothers are supported with love and care and have access to maternal needs, regardless of the circumstance of the pregnancy." The court upheld a rule that requires abortion providers to screen for signs of coercion. If the decision is appealed, the case would be elevated to the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge strikes down abortion waiting period in Michigan
A Michigan judge on Tuesday overturned a law requiring a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion can be administered in the state. Judge Sima Patel ruled that the law conflicted with an amendment Michigan voters passed in 2022 enshrining abortion rights into the state's Constitution. The waiting period existed in Michigan for years, but Patel temporarily blocked it last year, arguing that it 'exacerbates the burdens that patients experience seeking abortion care,' according to The Associated Press. Michigan abortion providers sued last year to overturn the 24-hour waiting period for patients and to scrap the informed consent law, as well as a law that barred advanced practice clinicians from providing abortions. Patel, a Court of Claims judge, also reversed a part of the law that required abortion providers to give patients fetal development charts and information on alternatives to abortions, arguing that it also violates the Reproductive Freedom for All constitutional amendment. She also paused a section of the law that excluded nurses, nurse midwives and physician assistants from providing abortion care. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said she was 'overjoyed' by the judge's decision to overturn the waiting period and informed consent requirements. 'For years, Michiganders have faced obstacles when seeking reproductive care. From a 24-hour waiting period before accessing abortion to a ban on advanced practice clinicians providing care, these rules have put politicians between a woman and her doctor,' Whitmer wrote in a post on social platform X. 'I'm overjoyed to say that the Michigan Court of Claims has seen these restrictive provisions for what they are: an unconstitutional overreach that infringes on our constitutional right to make our own reproductive health decisions,' she added. Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups in the state admonished Patel for her ruling, arguing that it poses an 'immediate threat' to women's health across the state. 'Abortion is the only medical procedure of its kind in which the patient now is expected to go in blind,' Amber Roseboom, president of the Right to Life of Michigan, wrote in a statement. 'There is no question that women are at greater risk when they enter an abortion clinic in Michigan today than they were even a few years ago,' the group added. The risk of complications from an abortion remains extremely low. Research shows that about 2 percent of abortions involve some type of complication. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Judge strikes down abortion waiting period in Michigan
A Michigan judge on Tuesday overturned a law requiring a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion can be administered in the state. Judge Sima Patel ruled that the law conflicted with an amendment Michigan voters passed in 2022 enshrining abortion rights into the state's Constitution. The waiting period existed in Michigan for years, but Patel temporarily blocked it last year, arguing that it 'exacerbates the burdens that patients experience seeking abortion care,' according to The Associated Press. Michigan abortion providers sued last year to overturn the 24-hour waiting period for patients and to scrap the informed consent law, as well as a law that barred advanced practice clinicians from providing abortions. Patel, a Court of Claims judge, also reversed a part of the law that required abortion providers to give patients fetal development charts and information on alternatives to abortions, arguing that it also violates the Reproductive Freedom for All constitutional amendment. She also paused a section of the law that excluded nurses, nurse midwives and physician assistants from providing abortion care. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said she was 'overjoyed' over the judge's decision to overturn the waiting period and informed consent requirements. 'For years, Michiganders have faced obstacles when seeking reproductive care. From a 24-hour waiting period before accessing abortion to a ban on advanced practice clinicians providing care, these rules have put politicians between a woman and her doctor,' Witmer wrote in a post on social platform X. 'I'm overjoyed to say that the Michigan Court of Claims has seen these restrictive provisions for what they are: an unconstitutional overreach that infringes on our constitutional right to make our own reproductive health decisions,' she added. Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups in the state admonished Patel for her ruling, arguing that it poses an 'immediate threat' to women's health across the state. 'Abortion is the only medical procedure of its kind in which the patient now is expected to go in blind,' Amber Roseboom, president of the Right to Life of Michigan, wrote in a statement. 'There is no question that women are at greater risk when they enter an abortion clinic in Michigan today than they were even a few years ago,' the group added. The risk of complications from an abortion remains extremely low. Research shows that about 2 percent of abortions involve some type of complication.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court strikes down Michigan's 24-hour waiting period for abortions
A sign at the Michigan Pride rally in Lansing on June 26, 2022. | Photo by Laina G. Stebbins Michigan's mandatory 24-hour waiting period for receiving abortions has been struck down after a Michigan Court of Claims judge determined Tuesday that the rule was unconstitutional. Michigan voters enshrined the right to an abortion and 'reproductive freedom for all' into the state constitution in the November 2022 election through a ballot measure. In February 2024, abortion rights groups filed a lawsuit challenging several of Michigan's provisions around abortion access, asserting that they work against Michiganders' new constitutional rights. In addition to the mandatory 24-hour waiting period, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel struck down requirements surrounding mandatory counseling that required abortion providers to provide an image of a fetus to patients receiving abortions. Another stricken rule had barred nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants from performing abortions However, Patel upheld a rule that requires abortion providers to screen for signs of coercion, saying the rule does not violate the constitutional right to reproductive health care. Michigan voters OK abortion, voting rights and term limits proposals 'The interest to be protected in this case is the fundamental right to reproductive freedom. The Court has deemed the majority of the provisions in the challenged laws to unconstitutionally burden and infringe upon that right,' Patel wrote in her opinion Tuesday. Striking down the 24-hour waiting period has been a top priority for abortion access advocates, as Planned Parenthood of Michigan reported in 2023, when lawmakers were considering a repeal, that the rule causes around 150 patients to cancel their appointments each month due to difficulty scheduling with work, transportation or other reasons. Plaintiffs arguing for the repeal in the case argued that the waiting period does nothing to promote patient health or protect against coercion into getting an abortion. Instead, proponents for the repeal argued that the waiting period works to ensure it becomes more difficult, logistically and medically, to receive quality abortion care earlier in a pregnancy. '…the Court finds that the mandatory 24-hour waiting period burdens and infringes upon patients' rights to reproductive freedom,' Patel wrote in her opinion Tuesday. 'The mandatory delay exacerbates the burdens that patients experience seeking abortion care, including by increasing costs, prolonging wait times, increasing the risk that a patient will have to disclose their decision to others, and potentially forcing the patient to forgo a medication abortion for a more invasive procedure.' Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a staunch supporter of abortion rights, has long supported eliminating the state's waiting period placed on abortions, saying in a statement Tuesday that the court's decision recognizes the struck down provisions as burdensome and obstructive to abortion care. 'This ruling affirms what Michiganders made clear when they voted to enshrine a fundamental right to reproductive freedom in our state constitution: that deeply personal medical decisions belong to individuals and their providers,' Nessel said. 'I will continue fighting to defend reproductive freedoms and protect bodily autonomy for Michigan residents.' Meanwhile, Right to Life of Michigan President Amber Roseboom said in a statement that the court's decision endangers womens' ability to make informed and safe medical decisions for themselves. 'Abortion is the only medical procedure of its kind in which the patient now is expected to go in blind,' Roseboom said in a statement. 'There is no question that women are at greater risk when they enter an abortion clinic in Michigan today than they were even a few years ago.' Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who championed the effort to remove the barriers, said the ruling 'reaffirms that Michigan is a state where you can make your own decisions about your own body with a trusted health care provider, without political interference.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
