Michigan managed to win a game without coach Jim Harbaugh, who was suspended due to the sign-stealing scandal. Michigan still wants a court order sending him to the sidelines for the remaining games of the regular season.
The lawsuit filed Friday by Michigan and Harbaugh is scheduled to be heard Friday. Judge Timothy Connors, a lecturer at Michigan Law School, has retired. Judge Carol Kuhnke inherited the case.
However, the Big Ten could try to find a way to take the case to federal court by Friday. This is a common remedy when an out-of-state defendant faces a state court judge who was elected to office by citizens and can be voted out. If there are sufficient grounds for dismissal of the lawsuit, the case is heard by a federal judge who is appointed for life and is therefore completely independent of local political considerations.
Wherever the case is heard, the question will be whether Michigan is entitled to an “injunction” preventing the stay while the lawsuit against it proceeds. An attempt by Michigan to obtain an injunction that would have allowed Harbaugh to practice Saturday inevitably failed because Judge Kuhnke did not grant it.
In the next two weeks, Michigan travels to Maryland before hosting Ohio State.