People of Michigan v. Richard Louis Baird

Summary

The Court held that a defendant charged through Michigan’s one-man grand-jury procedure is entitled to a preliminary examination before trial because the governing statutes require the case to proceed in the same manner as one initiated by formal complaint. It also held that the statutes authorize investigation, subpoenas, and arrest warrants but do not authorize a one-man grand jury to issue an indictment initiating a prosecution. The Court therefore reversed the orders denying preliminary examinations and remanded for further proceedings.