Sentencing; People v Lockridge; Doubling a defendant’s guidelines pursuant to MCL 333.7413(1)

In an order in lieu of granting leave to appeal the Court of Appeals judgment (see eJournal # 82303 in the 10/1/24 edition), the court remanded the case to that court to allow defendant to file a supplemental brief as to whether, in light of Lockridge, “a court can double an individual’s sentencing guidelines pursuant to MCL 333.7413(1).” The court denied leave to appeal in all other respects because it was not persuaded that it should review the remaining questions presented. It denied a motion to remand. It granted in part a motion for peremptory relief or remand and to supplement application for leave to appeal, to permit defendant to file a supplemental brief in the Court of Appeals, and denied it in all other respects.

Concurring in part and dissenting in part, Justice Welch found that defendant raised important questions about juror bias, and because the court’s case law “on juror bias is underdeveloped,” she would have heard arguments on the issue. Thus, while she concurred with the order in all other respects, she dissented from it insofar as it denied leave to appeal on that issue.