The Metro: Why an eviction defense program creating trust in Detroit’s legal system may not exist next year
Chief Judge William McConico describes what low income tenants and the court stand to lose if the Right to Counsel program shuts down.
Chief Judge William McConico believes without Detroit's Right to Counsel program, justice is diminished for tenants.
For about three years, Detroit’s Right to Counsel program has given free legal representation to low-income tenants facing eviction. The share of tenants who walk in with a lawyer has gone from almost none to nearly all. Research credits the program with keeping families housed and saving the city money.
But this program is running low on money, and its future depends on the state, the federal government, or philanthropy to step in. What happens to tenants — and to the court itself — if it disappears? And how has it changed what justice actually looks like in that courtroom?
William McConico is the Chief Judge of Detroit’s 36th District Court. He spoke about why he’s hoping to keep the program with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
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