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Who is Julie Nicholson? Michigan judge slammed for $1M bond on Ethan Crumbley's parents

'Judge Julie Nicholson has to go because no one in their right mind would have given them bail,' a user tweeted

PONTIAC, MICHIGAN: The parents of Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley, were arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter on December 4, 2021, for the mass shooting by Ethan that left four of his classmates dead. Meanwhile, the Crumbleys have retained Larry Nassar's defense attorney Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman to represent their case. The couple has also been placed on suicide watch, as they reportedly wept after being brought to the facility.

Jennifer and James Crumbley are currently facing a mammoth bail amount of $500,000 each, as announced by Judge Julie Nicholson at the hearing. The total bail amount of $1 Million has stirred quite a controversy. Many are citing the low $5,000 bail set for career criminal Darrell Brooks accused of killing 6 people at Waukesha Christmas parade, and alleging racial disparity in the judicial system. 

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Who is Julie Nicholson? 

The preliminary hearing for James and Jennifer Crumbley was held on Saturday, December 3, 2021, via a Zoom call. Judge Julie Nicholson assigned a total bond of $1 Million and placed them on GPS monitoring, as the prosecutors insisted that they were at flight risk. Both of them pleaded not guilty to their charges at the time.

Julie Nicholson has been appointed as the Chief Judge of the 52nd District Court of Michigan five times since 2000, by the Michigan State Supreme Court. She also has been a member and faculty at the Michigan Judicial Institute and Cooley Law School. The veteran judge earned her Judicial Degree in 1987 from Detroit College of Law, after pursuing her Bachelor's in Business Administration. She worked at different private law firms till 1996, when she was first elected to the District Court. 

Nicholson is credited for developing welfare programs like the 'Have To Choose' program for high school students where they are motivated to make healthy life choices. She also developed the 'Most Wanted' Program, which "utilizes the assistance of the public to apprehend high risk individuals who have absconded from the court system". She is also associated with several not-for-profit organizations and welfare boards as a senior board member. She has been rated "AV Preeminent" by Martindale-Hubbell of Bar Registry of Preeminent Women Lawyers.

"Dear Ma and Pa Crumbley, Your request for a do-over is hereby DENIED. Signed: Honorable Julie Nicholson," a Twitter user noted, hailing Judge Nicholson's decision. 

At the same time, a few social media users criticized her decision to offer them any bail at all. "Judge Julie Nicholson assigned bond of $500,000 each and other requirements such as GPS monitoring." How are people who fled arrest eligible for bail? That makes no sense," a user tweeted. 

"Ok, then. Judge Julie Nicholson has to go because no one in their right mind would have given them bail," another noted.

However, Judge Nicholson was lambasted by a section of the public for the high bail amount. One user tweeted, "Darryl Brooks got $1000 bail for attempting to run over one of his baby mamas, proceeded to commit #WaukeshaMassacre. The Crumbleys got $500,000 each. This is systemic racism and #BlackPrivilege in America."