Former Circuit Judge Norman Lippitt Letter to Gov. Rick Snyder – Clemency for Seaman

Excerpt of letter:

Dear Governor Snyder:

By way of introduction, I am the Sixth Circuit judge who presided over the 1988 trial of Karen Kantzler who was convicted of second degree murder for the homicide of her abusive husband.  Since 1993, I have advocated for Ms. Kantzler’s release from prison and in December 2017, she was finally returned to society.

“As the Court stated in Berger v U.S., “In a criminal case, it is not that a State shall win a case, but that justice be done.”

In my professional opinion as a Circuit Court Judge for four years, justice has not been done in Nancy Seaman’s case.  It is my hope you will grant commutation to Nancy Seaman and rectify the injustice that resulted when Michigan law impeded her right to present evidence critical to her defense.  In doing so, you will be honoring the decisions of both the state and federal judges who overturned the verdict in her case.

Norman Lippitt Letter to Gov. Snyder – Clemency for Seaman – June 2018