Committee hears bill to eliminate Michigans one-person grand jury amid due-process concerns

Representative Meerman presented House Bill 4,434 to the House Judiciary Committee, saying the measure would repeal Michigans one-person grand jury procedure and bring statute in line with the Michigan Supreme Courts recent rulings.

Meerman told the committee that a one-person grand jury places charging authority and investigative power in the hands of a single judge and that the process is conducted in secrecy, which he said undermines due process and public confidence in the judiciary. He cited the Michigan Supreme Court decision People v. Peeler, which examined the attorney generals use of a one-person grand jury and led to dismissals in prosecution in that matter.

Keith Denhollander, national field director for the Christian Coalition, testified in support and urged the committee to "bring compiled law in line with Supreme Court precedent," saying repeal would increase transparency and public confidence. The clerk also read a card noting support from Noah Smith on behalf of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan; Smith did not speak.

Committee members asked how often one-person grand juries are used and what types of cases employ the procedure. Representative Meerman said they are used infrequently and typically in felony-level matters; he told the committee his conversations with prosecutors indicated one-person grand juries had been considered a tool for sensitive investigations but that the Supreme Court ruling limited their use.

Procedural notes: testimony and stakeholder cards were entered into the record; no formal vote on HB 4,434 occurred during the session. The committee later excused absent members by unanimous consent and adjourned.

Whats next: Sponsors and staff did not announce a date for further committee action on the bill during the hearing.