The Michigan Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of a Michigan Court of Appeals decision on a lawsuit brought against Berrien County over the rejection of a recall effort at Lakeshore Public Schools.
The group We the Parents had attempted to recall former Lakeshore School Board President Jason Beckrow and Trustee Rachel Wade over the district’s masking policies in 2022. The group alleged that the Berrien County Clerk’s office inappropriately declined to place the recall on an election ballot. The clerk’s office said the recall effort didn’t get enough signatures.
Berrien County Judge Dennis Wiley in 2022 ruled in favor of the clerk’s office, and the Michigan Court of Appeals later upheld his decision. The Michigan Supreme Court this week declined to take up the issue, saying only, “we are not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court.”
Berrien County Corporate Counsel Thaddeus Hackworth told us in a prepared statement that the county is “pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision, which confirms that the County Clerk’s office acted appropriately in preserving election integrity, and upholds the Court of Appeals decision which provides much-needed clarity to County Clerks across the State.”
It’s unlikely the case will go any further.
