The Lab

The Lab is Clutch Justice’s suite of free interactive tools built to make Michigan’s judicial accountability systems legible to the people most affected by them. Sixteen tools, no account required, no paywall. Everything runs in your browser.

Accountability reporting is only useful if the people most affected by the systems being reported on can actually engage with what gets published. The Lab is the infrastructure for that engagement: tools that teach, tools that translate, research libraries that put the documentary record in one place, and puzzles that make the vocabulary of Michigan courts feel less like a wall.

Every tool is built on the same premise. The system depends on most people not knowing how it works. The Lab is a direct argument against that.

The tools

Document guide
12 document types
The Interpreter
Always available — clutchjustice.com/the-interpreter/
Select your Michigan court document type and get a plain-language breakdown of what it means, what it requires, key dates and deadlines, and when to get an attorney involved. Covers bond orders, PPOs, probation, plea agreements, JTC notices, and more.
Open The Interpreter ›
Civic tool
6 steps
The Dossier
Always available — clutchjustice.com/how-to-file-jtc-complaint-michigan/
A step-by-step interactive guide to filing a complaint with the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. What qualifies, what to document, what filing actually requires, and what to realistically expect when you do.
Open The Dossier ›
Weekly puzzle
Tuesdays 10 AM EST
The Docket
New issue every Tuesday at 10:00 AM EST
A logic deduction puzzle. Four fictional judges, four Michigan counties, four JTC complaint types, four outcomes. Use the clues to work out who is from where, what they were accused of, and what the JTC did about it.
Play The Docket ›
Weekly puzzle
Thursdays 10 AM EST
Clutch Connects
New issue every Thursday at 10:00 AM EST
A word-grouping puzzle. Sixteen terms from Michigan courts sorted into four hidden groups. Each group has a cryptic title. One term is a disputed district: it looks like it belongs somewhere else. Four guesses.
Play Clutch Connects ›
Weekly puzzle
Mondays 10 AM EST
Cold Case Crossword
New issue every Monday at 10:00 AM EST
A crossword built entirely from the documentary record. Every clue is in the record: case files, court transcripts, autopsy reports, investigative journalism. No trivia. No filler. The answers are what the record actually says.
Play Cold Case Crossword ›
Weekly puzzle
Wednesdays 10 AM EST
Chain of Custody
New issue every Wednesday at 10:00 AM EST
A sequencing puzzle built on evidentiary logic. Put the steps in the right order: chain of custody, forensic procedure, legal process. One broken link and the whole chain fails. Learn how evidence is supposed to move through the system by building the unbroken chain yourself.
Play Chain of Custody ›
Reference tool
40 terms
Michigan Courts Glossary
Always available — clutchjustice.com/michigan-courts-glossary/
Forty terms from Michigan courts, the JTC, public defense, and judicial accountability. Filter by category, flip cards to reveal plain-language definitions, and drill the terms you have not learned yet.
Open the Glossary ›
Searchable database
Searchable
Judicial Misconduct Database
Always available — clutchjustice.com/judicial-misconduct/
A searchable record of Michigan judicial misconduct cases documented by Clutch Justice. Judges, courts, complaint types, and outcomes. The public record that the JTC’s confidentiality rules are designed to obscure.
Search the database ›
Decision tool
New
Do I Need an Attorney?
Always available — clutchjustice.com/do-i-need-an-attorney/
Answer a few questions about your Michigan court situation and get a plain-language assessment of whether you need legal representation, why it matters in your specific situation, and which Lab resources apply to your case.
Use the guide ›
Audit tool
8 categories
FitBench Interactive Audit
Always available — clutchjustice.com/fitbench-audit/
Rate a Michigan judge across the eight FitBench performance categories based on what you have directly observed. Generate a structured scorecard using the framework from the proposed FitBench Act.
Open the audit ›
Document generator
Legally cited
Michigan FOIA Generator
Always available — clutchjustice.com/michigan-foia-generator/
Fill in a short form and receive a complete, properly formatted Freedom of Information Act request letter citing MCL 15.231 et seq., ready to print and send by certified mail.
Generate a letter ›
Privacy tool
100% local
PDF Redaction X-Ray & Risk Scanner
Always available — clutchjustice.com/pdf-redaction-scanner/ — your document never leaves your device
Upload a redacted PDF and scan for hidden text under black boxes, author metadata, embedded annotations, form fields, JavaScript actions, and embedded attachments. Built for pro-se litigants and advocates who need to verify redactions before filing. All processing happens in your browser — nothing is uploaded or transmitted.
Scan a PDF ›
Legal reference
Searchable
Brady / Giglio / Santobello Database
Always available — clutchjustice.com/brady-giglio-santobello/
A searchable reference covering the three foundational prosecutorial disclosure doctrines: Brady v. Maryland (exculpatory evidence obligations), Giglio v. United States (witness credibility disclosure), and Santobello v. New York (plea agreement enforcement). Built for pro-se litigants, defense advocates, and journalists tracking prosecutorial conduct. Not legal advice.
Open the database ›
Investigation toolkit
Free / free-tier
Free OSINT & Investigation Toolkit
Always available — clutchjustice.com/free-osint-toolkit/
A curated, filterable directory of open-source intelligence tools for accountability journalism, records research, and institutional forensics. All tools are free or free-tier. Filter by category or search by tool name and use case. Curated specifically for Michigan-focused investigative work. No logins required for most tools.
Open the toolkit ›
Research library
4 resources
OCCK & North Fox Island Reference Library
Always available — clutchjustice.com/occk-north-fox-island-reference-library/
Four reference resources for the Clutch Justice Michigan Accountability Series: an interactive case timeline spanning 1971 to 2026, a structured Who’s Who reference for named individuals in both cases, an interactive Woodward Corridor map of abduction and body dump sites, and an annotated reading list of 26 primary documents and investigative sources. Compiled from public records, court files, and named investigative journalism. Free. No signup.
Open the library ›
Research library
Series in progress
Michigan Murders Research Reference Library
Always available — clutchjustice.com/michigan-murders-library/
A growing set of reference tools for the Michigan Murders Files investigative series: an interactive forensic evidence collapse timeline, a career pipeline diagram mapping named officials from these cases to subsequent positions, a card-based victim reference restoring the real names anonymized in Keyes’ 1976 account, and a documented MSP laboratory failure record from 1970 to the present. Each tool publishes with its corresponding series article.
Open the library ›

How The Lab is built

Every tool in The Lab runs inside a WordPress Custom HTML block with no external app, no login, and no data collection. The Interpreter is a static reference guide covering the 12 most common Michigan court document types. The puzzles are entirely self-contained. The Dossier and Glossary are static interactive tools built on publicly available information about Michigan court processes. The research libraries are compiled from public records, court files, and named investigative journalism, with every claim sourced to the document or outlet that reported it.

The Lab is a living section of the site. Tools are added as they are ready. Upcoming additions include a case timeline builder for active investigations and a conviction rate explorer built on Michigan caseload data. If you have a suggestion for a tool that would have made a difference in your own experience with Michigan courts, the address is hello@clutchjustice.com.

What The Lab is not

The Lab does not provide legal advice. The Interpreter explains common document types in plain language. The Dossier explains a bureaucratic process. The Glossary defines terms. The Brady/Giglio/Santobello Database is a legal reference tool, not a litigation strategy. None of these tools tell you what to do, predict outcomes, or substitute for an attorney. If you are navigating an active case with a deadline, consult a lawyer before acting on anything in The Lab.

The research libraries are compiled reference documents, not legal findings. The OCCK and Michigan Murders libraries are built to help readers follow the investigative series with the same source context the reporting draws from. Individuals identified as suspects have not been convicted of the murders described. Investigative theory is labeled as such throughout. Cases remain open.

The puzzles are built on fictional scenarios. The judges, counties, and cases in The Docket and Clutch Connects are invented. The complaint categories and JTC outcome types reflect real processes, but no specific real case is depicted in any puzzle.

QuickFAQs
How do I know if I need a lawyer?
Use the Do I Need an Attorney guide. It walks through the most common Michigan court situations and explains whether legal representation is urgent, strongly advisable, worth considering, or optional — and why each answer applies to your situation specifically.
Does any of this cost money?
No. Every tool in The Lab is free. No subscription required, no account, no paywall. Subscribe to Clutch Justice if you want to support the work, but it is not required to use any tool.
Can I share these tools with someone going through a Michigan court case?
Yes. That is exactly what they are for. The Interpreter and The Dossier are the most directly useful for people in active situations. The Glossary helps with vocabulary. The Brady/Giglio/Santobello Database is useful for anyone tracking prosecutorial disclosure obligations. Send the URL, not a screenshot.
How often do new puzzles publish?
The Docket publishes every Tuesday at 10:00 AM EST. Clutch Connects publishes every Thursday at 10:00 AM EST. Subscribe to Clutch Justice to get each new puzzle in your inbox.
What is the Brady/Giglio/Santobello Database?
It is a searchable reference covering the three foundational prosecutorial disclosure doctrines established by the U.S. Supreme Court. Brady v. Maryland governs exculpatory evidence. Giglio v. United States governs witness credibility disclosure. Santobello v. New York governs plea agreement enforcement. The database is a legal reference tool, not legal advice.
Are the OCCK and Michigan Murders libraries conclusions about who is responsible?
No. Both libraries are compiled research references built from public records, court files, and named investigative journalism. Investigative theory is labeled as such throughout. No person identified as a suspect in either library has been convicted of the murders described. Cases remain open.
I found an error in a tool. How do I report it?
Email hello@clutchjustice.com with the tool name, what you found, and what the correct information should be. Factual corrections are taken seriously and addressed promptly.

Sources and Documentation

Primary Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission — jtc.courts.mi.gov
Law Michigan Court Rules, Subchapter 9.200 — Judicial Tenure Commission Proceedings
Law Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963); Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150 (1972); Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257 (1971)
Clutch Clutch Justice Judicial Misconduct Database
Clutch The Dossier: How to File a JTC Complaint in Michigan
Clutch OCCK & North Fox Island Research Reference Library — Clutch Justice
Clutch Michigan Murders Research Reference Library — Clutch Justice
Clutch Michigan Courts Glossary — Clutch Justice
How to Cite This Page
Bluebook (Legal)

Rita Williams, The Lab: Interactive Tools for Understanding Michigan Courts, Clutch Justice (Apr. 10, 2025), https://clutchjustice.com/the-lab/.

APA 7

Williams, R. (2025, April 10). The lab: Interactive tools for understanding Michigan courts. Clutch Justice. https://clutchjustice.com/the-lab/

MLA 9

Williams, Rita. “The Lab: Interactive Tools for Understanding Michigan Courts.” Clutch Justice, 10 Apr. 2025, clutchjustice.com/the-lab/.

Chicago

Williams, Rita. “The Lab: Interactive Tools for Understanding Michigan Courts.” Clutch Justice, April 10, 2025. https://clutchjustice.com/the-lab/.