Inmate Wants Court To Overturn Granholm Decision
LANSING (AP) - The Michigan appeals court is hearing arguments in a case involving the release of a prison inmate in the final days of the Granholm administration.
In December 2010, Gov. Jennifer Granholm agreed to commute the life sentence of Matthew Makowski. Granholm changed her mind less than 48 hours later, after the victim's family protested.
Makowski's attorneys say Granholm had no authority to reverse course after documents were signed and filed.
But state attorneys say Michigan governors have broad powers when deciding whether to commute no-parole sentences. The appeals court is hearing arguments Tuesday in Lansing.
Makowski was convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a co-worker in suburban Detroit. He didn't stab Pete Puma and wasn't present, but he had arranged the 1988 robbery.
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