Eli Savit
Eli Savit is an American lawyer, law professor, and politician. He is the Prosecuting Attorney-Elect in Washtenaw County, Michigan.[1] His areas of expertise include civil rights, education law, environmental protection, state and local government, and criminal-justice reform.
Prior to his election as Prosecuting Attorney, Savit served as senior legal counsel in the office of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, and as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Savit is also a lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School.
Early life and education
Savit was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[2] He graduated from Kalamazoo College[3], where he was voted senior class commencement speaker.[4] Following graduation, Savit worked as an eighth-grade social studies teacher at I.S. 339, a public school in the South Bronx.[5] He then attended law school at the University of Michigan, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and served as the Book Review Editor on the Michigan Law Review.
Legal career
After graduating from law school, Savit worked as a law clerk for Judge Carlos T. Bea on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and for Judge David S. Tatel on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.[6] He then worked as a litigator at Williams & Connolly[7] in Washington, D.C., before being selected to work as a law clerk on the United States Supreme Court for Justices Sandra Day O’Connor (ret.) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.[8]
Following his Supreme Court clerkship, Savit returned to Michigan, and accepted an appointment as senior legal counsel in the Detroit Mayor’s Office.[2] In that capacity, Savit oversaw thousands of public-interest lawsuits against banks and for-profit corporations, including suits against tax-delinquent corporate landlords and against the opioid industry.[9] [10][11] Savit also led the City’s legal efforts in civil-rights cases. He served as lead counsel for the City in Gary B. v. Snyder, a successful lawsuit which sought to establish that Detroit schoolchildren have been denied their fundamental right to literacy.[12][13] He helped lead the negotiations which ultimately reached a settlement in that case.[14][3]
In addition to his litigation work, Savit oversaw multiple legal matters for the City of Detroit.[15] Among other things, he led the negotiating team that, in 2017, struck a $48 million community benefits agreement with the Canadian government related to the Gordie Howe International Bridge, to be spent on job training, health monitoring, and environmental remediation in Southwest Detroit.[16][17][18] In 2018, he crafted an agreement with the ACLU and community partners to prevent home foreclosures throughout Detroit.[19][20][21] He also served as the top education policy advisor for the City of Detroit.[22]
Savit maintains an appointment at the University of Michigan Law School, where he teaches classes on public-interest litigation and state and local government.[23] His academic work has been published in, among other journals, the Michigan Law Review[24] and the Michigan Journal of Law Reform.[25] Savit has also authored pieces in multiple popular publications, including the New York Times[26][27], the Wall Street Journal[28], the Detroit News[29][30][31], Slate[32], The Hill[33], and MLive.com[34]. He is also a frequent contributor to the legal blog Take Care, where he primarily writes about environmental issues.[35]
In addition to his work for the City of Detroit, Savit has been a practicing environmental lawyer, representing the States of New Jersey and Maryland and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in lawsuits against companies such as Exxon and Shell.[36] He also regularly serves as a pro-bono cooperating attorney for civil-rights groups in Michigan. He has litigated in the Michigan Supreme Court on behalf of the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, and the American Association of University Women.[37] He also presented testimony to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission in support of Equality Michigan’s successful effort to have the Commission declare that Michigan’s civil rights law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.[38]
Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney
In May 2019, Savit announced his 2020 candidacy for Washtenaw County prosecutor, vowing to “end the era of mass incarceration."[39] A Democrat, Savit’s platform included elimination of cash bail, more support for addiction and mental-health treatment programs, and eliminating racial and socioeconomic inequity in the justice system.[39][2][3]
Less than two weeks after Savit announced his candidacy, 28-year incumbent prosecutor Brian Mackie announced his retirement.[40] Savit was endorsed by multiple elected officials and community leaders, including former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, State Senator Jeff Irwin, and three previous chairs of the Michigan Democratic Party.[3]
Savit ran for Washtenaw County Prosecutor against two Democratic primary opponents: Arianne Slay and Hugo Mack.[41] Savit's campaign attracted national attention[42][43][44][45], and he secured endorsements from such high-profile national figures as Senator Bernie Sanders[46] and musician and activist John Legend.[47] On August 4, 2020, Savit won the Democratic primary for Washtenaw County Prosecutor, netting 41,673 votes (51%) compared to 35,380 (43%) for Slay and 5,504 (7%) for Mack.[48]
Savit faced no Republican opposition in the November general election.[49] On November 3, 2020, Savit won the general election[50], netting 159,998 votes (98.78%)--the most votes of any candidate on the ballot in Washtenaw County.[1]
On November 10, 2020, Savit announced that he would appoint Victoria Burton-Harris Washtenaw County's Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.[51] Burton-Harris ran for Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney in the August 2020 Democratic primary against long-time incumbent prosecutor Kym Worthy. She is the first woman in Washtenaw County history to hold the office of Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.[51]
in the fall of 2020, Savit announced that the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office office would no longer prosecute the use or possession of psychedelic mushrooms or other entheogenic plants.[52] Savit's announcement came on the heels of a City Council resolution in Ann Arbor--Washtenaw County's largest city--that deemed possession, use, and cultivation of entheogenic plants Ann Arbor's "lowest law enforcement priority."[53]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Official Election Results: Washtenaw County, Michigan, Nov. 3, 2020". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Editor, Sarah Payne Summer News. "In Conversation: Eli Savit, candidate for Washtenaw County Prosecutor". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Ypsi Votes: Eli Savit's campaign for prosecutor focuses on large structural reforms". The Eastern Echo. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ Eli Savit - Kalamazoo College Commencement, 2005, retrieved 2019-08-25
- ↑ "Former NYC teachers aim to "revolutionize educational philanthropy"". Chalkbeat. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Lat, David. "Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Are Any Spots Left For October Term 2014?". Above the Law. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "MLaw alum earns coveted Supreme Court clerkship". www.law.umich.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 8)", Wikipedia, 2019-08-23, retrieved 2019-08-25
- ↑ Ferretti, Christine. "Detroit suits seek $30 million in unpaid property taxes". Detroit News. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Detroit suing 700 property investors for unpaid taxes". Crain's Detroit Business. 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Michigan law shielding drug makers draws scrutiny amid opioid crisis". Detroit News. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Detroit backs DPS students in literacy fight". Detroit News. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "In Detroit, a battle over the right to literacy". Marketplace. 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Levin, Koby (2020-05-21). "Inside the Detroit right-to-read case: How a settlement came together and a groundbreaking precedent fell apart". Chalkbeat Detroit. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "Savit, Eli - University of Michigan Law School". www.law.umich.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Stafford, Kat. "Detroit church in path of Gordie Howe Bridge will be demolished, leaving only memories". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Monday, Aaron Mondry |; January 29; 2018. "How residents of southwest Detroit fought for, and won, a historic community benefits package". Model D. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Ferretti, Christine; Rahal, Sarah. "Detroit council OKs protections for those near bridge". Detroit News. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Foreclosures to be sold back to owners in ACLU, city settlement". Detroit News. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund Settle Tax Foreclosure Case, Enabling Low-Income Detroiters in Foreclosure to Keep Their Homes for $1,000". ACLU of Michigan. 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Reynolds, Matt (2018-07-05). "Distressed Detroit Homeowners Settle Tax-Foreclosure Lawsuit". Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Federal funding for child care in Michigan: How should the unexpected $63 million be used?". Chalkbeat. 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Savit, Eli - University of Michigan Law School". www.law.umich.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "The New Front in the Clean Air Wars: Fossil-Fuel Influence Over State Attorneys General- and How It Might Be Checked | Michigan Law Review". Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Savit, Eli (2019-04-01). "States Empowering Plaintiff Cities". University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform. 52 (3): 581–614. ISSN 0363-602X.
- ↑ Bagley, Nicholas; Savit, Eli (2018-05-08). "Opinion | Michigan's Discriminatory Work Requirements". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Savit, Eli (2019-11-08). "Opinion | Detroit's Schools Are Unconstitutionally Unequal (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "Jewish Ideals and Progressive Voting Patterns". WSJ. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Bias against LGBT is on basis of 'sex'". Detroit News. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Other views on Michigan Supreme Court gun decision". Detroit News. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Jahner, Dan Manville, Eli Savit and Monica. "Opinion: Fast-track release of lifers sentenced as children". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2020-11-22. zero width space character in
|first=at position 1 (help) - ↑ "Eli Savit". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Tan, Anjelica (2018-12-31). "States must empower city attorneys". TheHill. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Writer, Guest (2016-02-01). "Why Detroit schools are crumbling - look at state's funding foundation". mlive.com. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Eli Savit | Take Care". takecareblog.com. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Ypsi Votes: Eli Savit's campaign for prosecutor focuses on large structural reforms". The Eastern Echo. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "ACLU urges State Supreme Court to reject the legislature's attempt to undermine voters". ACLU of Michigan. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ Staff, B. T. L. "MI Civil Rights Commission Takes Action on Anti-LGBT Discrimination". Pride Source. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 Stanton, Ryan (2019-05-29). "Reformist candidate launches campaign for Washtenaw County prosecutor". mlive.com. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ↑ "Longtime Washtenaw prosecutor Brian Mackie says 'it is time' to retire". mlive. 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "A Pivotal Race for Prosecuting Attorney - Three very different candidates promise to transform the criminal justice system". Ann Arbor Observer. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "Reformist candidate Eli Savit wins closely watched Washtenaw County prosecutor race". mlive. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "Progressives Score New Wins in Prosecutor Elections, Adding to the Movement's Breadth". The Appeal Political Report. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "Portland, Oregon's Seismic DA Result Demands Our Attention". Filter. 2020-05-21. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "The "Progressive Prosecutor" Movement Spreads, But Unevenly". Filter. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "Bernie Sanders endorses Eli Savit for Washtenaw County prosecutor". mlive. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ Editor, Julia Rubin Summer News. "John Legend endorses Eli Savit for Washtenaw County prosecutor". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "Reformist candidate Eli Savit wins closely watched Washtenaw County prosecutor race". mlive. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ Fair, David. "Eli Savit Prepping For Major Reforms In Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office". www.wemu.org. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ Morrison | AP, Aaron. "Advocates of overhauling criminal justice cheer multiple election victories". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 "Washtenaw County prosecutor-elect names first female assistant chief". mlive. 2020-11-10. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ Jaeger, Kyle (2020-09-29). "Michigan Prosecutor Won't Pursue Psychedelics Possession Cases Following Local Decriminalization Vote". Marijuana Moment. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ↑ "Ann Arbor decriminalizes magic mushrooms, psychedelic plants". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
Eli Savit
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