Emergency appeal in Hamtramck mayor's race goes to state Supreme Court
The lawyer for the Hamtramck mayoral candidate who lost by 11 votes is making an emergency filing directly to the Michigan Supreme Court that appeals a Wayne County judge's decision to disregard 37 ballots that weren't counted with the swearing-in ceremony just three days away.
The attorney, Mark Brewer of Goodman Acker, said in a Monday email that he is appealing the case of the uncounted ballots directly to the Michigan Supreme Court in hopes it would act quickly without waiting for a ruling by a three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals. The 37 absentee ballots would provide a chance for Brewer's client, City Council member Muhith Mahmood, to possibly overtake Adam Alharbi's razor-thin victory.
Alharbi is expected to be sworn into office on Thursday.
Brewer filed an appeal with the Court of Appeals last Tuesday after Judge Patricia Fresard ruled that the Wayne County Board of Canvassers properly exercised its discretion under state law in not counting the untabulated ballots, which were found in the Hamtramck clerk's office the day after the Nov. 4 election. Last month, in a 2-2 vote along party lines, Wayne County elections officials deadlocked on whether to count the ballots, meaning they were left untallied.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2025/12/29/emergency-appeal-hamtramck-mayors-race-muhith-mahood-alharbi-michigan-supreme-court/87947081007/