Appeals court blocks court appearance by U-M president
DETROIT (AP) — An appeals court has stepped in and temporarily blocked an extraordinary order that required the president of the University of Michigan to get personally involved in a sexual misconduct case against a student.
President Mark Schlissel was told to appear Thursday in Detroit federal court. But Judge Raymond Kethledge at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay Wednesday.
A graduate student accused of sexual misconduct, identified as John Doe, is suing the university, saying his rights were violated. The school froze Doe's undergraduate degree and academic transcript until Judge Arthur Tarnow intervened in 2018.
The issue now is what process U-M will use to handle the 2017 misconduct allegation against Doe. He denies any wrongdoing.
Tarnow had ordered university lawyers to bring Schlissel to Detroit for a conference in open court. The university has repeatedly objected, saying Tarnow is abusing his authority and that other administrators can attend.