Former lawmakers appeal case seeking to overturn term limits
Ten former lawmakers have asked a federal appellate court to rule Michigan s term limits unconstitutional, appealing a lower court ruling that upheld the decades-old, voter-approved limitations.
Approved by voters in 1992, Michigan s term limits are considered some of the strictest in the country. They limit state lawmakers to serving a total of 14 years across the two legislative chambers three, two-year terms in the House and two, four-year terms in the Senate.
In their appeal filed April 5, the lawmakers asked the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals panel to consider their case in light of U.S. Supreme Court precedent on candidates right to ballot access. The argument, they said, is different from what was used in a failed 1998 case that sought to overturn term limits on the premise that voters had a right to vote for candidates of their choice.
Origin
Cal Abrams, a Jewish native of Brooklyn, was a major league outfielder in the 1950s who started out his big league career with the hometown Brooklyn Dodgers. Unfortunately, Abrams traveled the same career arc as many an unfortunate baseball player of his era: a fine talent signed to a team with too many established stars for him to be able to crack the starting lineup regularly, he found himself relegated to pinch-hitting and occasional starting or fill-in appearances year after year, bound to his team in perpetuity by the reserve clause that provided players with no leverage to demand trades or declare free agency.
Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 3/1/2021 4:14:07 PM
Joe Cournoyer was everywhere in Temple. You could find him behind the counter at Willard’s Store, which he ran with his wife, Peggy, for the last 48 years, and also behind just about every holiday event and ball game. If you called the old Temple information line, Joe would be on the other end. He might have granted you a fire permit on behalf of the Fire Department, or waved to you as Santa around the holidays.
“Joe knew every single baby born, every single graduate’s name, every wedding and funeral,” former softball teammate Rob Hannings said. “[He and Peggy] knew everything about the town of Temple… you can’t be more involved in a community,” he said.
‘Octopus:’ Birmingham’s superstar shortstop belongs in the Hall of Fame
Updated Feb 22, 2021;
‘In the Negro Leagues, they called Artie Wilson “Octopus” because it was like he had eight arms that reached everywhere.’
If you’re a baseball fan and even if you’re not, I urge you to read every word of Joseph Goodman’s column about one of the greatest shortstops of all time and why he belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame:
Here are a few excerpts:
The best shortstop that most young baseball fans have never heard of was from speck-of-nothing Springville, Alabama, and when he would walk into the dugout for spring training he’d say, “Never fear, Artie’s here.”