Michigan doesn't always come up in national conversations about wrongful convictions, but it has a track record worth paying attention to - and an innocence organization that has been quietly doing serious work for decades.
The Michigan Innocence Clinic, housed at the University of Michigan Law School, has secured dozens of exonerations and is considered one of the leading innocence programs in the country. For cases that fit their criteria, they are one of the most capable organizations working in this space anywhere in the United States.
Michigan's Post-Conviction Framework
Michigan allows post-conviction challenges through a motion for relief from judgment under MCR 6.500. This motion is filed in the trial court and can raise claims of constitutional error, newly discovered evidence, ineffective assistance of counsel, and prosecutorial misconduct.
The key limitation: only one motion for relief from judgment is permitted as a matter of right. A second or subsequent motion requires demonstrating either a retroactive change in the law or newly discovered evidence that wasn't available for the first motion. This means the first motion needs to be done right - filing a poorly constructed motion and losing can make future relief significantly harder to obtain.
Michigan does not have an absolute deadline for the first motion, but courts expect it to be filed with reasonable diligence. Waiting years after new evidence becomes available without explanation will raise questions in court.
DNA Testing in Michigan
Michigan has a post-conviction DNA testing statute that allows convicted persons to petition for testing of biological evidence. The Michigan Innocence Clinic has used DNA evidence in several of its most prominent exonerations, and the statute provides a viable pathway for cases where biological evidence was collected but never tested.
The Michigan Innocence Clinic
Based at U of M Law School in Ann Arbor, the Michigan Innocence Clinic is staffed by law students supervised by experienced faculty attorneys. They focus on non-DNA cases - meaning cases where the innocence claim doesn't rest on biological evidence alone - which makes them unusual among innocence organizations nationally.
They take cases on a competitive basis and applications are made through the clinic directly. The review process is thorough and can take time. Cases involving documented false testimony, suppressed evidence, or identifiable forensic problems tend to get the most traction.
Where to Find Help in Michigan
Our Michigan resources page has a full directory of organizations working on wrongful conviction cases in the state. The Michigan Innocence Clinic should be a first contact for most cases, alongside the State Appellate Defender Office for those who need immediate appellate representation.