Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Peter O'Connell
Peter D. O'Connell was a judge on the Fourth District Court of Appeals in Michigan. He was first elected to the court in 1994. He did not seek re-election in 2018 and left office after his term expired on January 1, 2019.[1]
Education
O’Connell earned his J.D. from Detroit College of Law and his LL.M. in judicial studies from the University of Nevada-Reno.[1]
Career
Before his election to the Michigan Fourth District Court of Appeals, O'Connell was a district court judge for 16 years and a chief assistant prosecutor in Isabella County. He was also an instructor at New Judge's School and an adjunct professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Central Michigan University.[1]
2012 election
O'Connell was re-elected after running unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012.[2]
- See also: Michigan judicial elections, 2012
Court orders new trial
In a 2-1 decision, the Court of Appeals determined that because the jury was not notified that a victim of a traffic crash had been smoking marijuana, the conviction of Matthew Soars should be thrown out and he will stand in a new trial. Soares, who had been drinking, ran a stop sign and then collided into William Day, who was riding his motorcycle. Day subsequently died. "Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in granting the prosecutor's motion to exclude evidence of Day's use of marijuana at the time of the accident, reverse defendant's conviction, and order a new trial," wrote Judges Donald S. Owens and O'Connell in the majority opinion. But Judge Alton Davis voted that the conviction should stand. "Again, I conclude that this case presents a close evidentiary question, and the majority inappropriately substitutes its own judgment for that of the trial court," Davis wrote. "I would hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the evidence."[3]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Michigan Court of Appeals. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Institute of Continuing Legal Education
- Isabella County Court
- League of Women Voters
- Car Crash Plaintiff in Controversy
- New trial ordered in death of Almont man
Footnotes
 |
State of Michigan Lansing (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
