A Michigan man whose tumultuous legal journey over his driving privileges has captured the nation’s attention was back in court yesterday after video showed him sitting at the wheel of a car as he zoomed in During the hearing, he allegedly appeared in court again.
On May 15, Washtenaw County 14A District Court Judge J. Cedric Simpson said, “This is because the driver’s license was suspended.” A public defender responded, “Yes, your honor.”
It turns out that this is actually incorrect. At least not literally, since defendant Corey Harris was clearly unlicensed to begin with.
“He never had a driver’s license,” Simpson said Wednesday. “And has never been licensed in any of the other 49 states or commonwealths that make up this country.”
The revelation is just the latest twist in a story that has attracted widespread coverage across the country and has circulated more circles than Six Flags’ Death Wish. The initial viral narrative — that Harris’ driver’s license was suspended — was reported by: USA Today arrive Washington post Fox News, CNN, NBC and more.
A Report Detroit’s WXYZ disputed that, citing court records showing a judge lifted Harris’ suspension in January 2022 after those privileges were suspended for unpaid child support. While this did occur, the assertion that his license was submitted for reinstatement is also false because the license was not reinstated. So the original story was updated and then updated because basically everyone was incorrect on a fundamental level, including me In an article I wrote, I questioned the utility of the national media litigating a man over his driver’s license. (The picture below comes from daily beast This may be the most direct example of the whiplash this news cycle has unleashed.
Simpson declined to comment through his judicial coordinator. Harris’ defense attorney, Dionne Webster-Cox, was shocked by the news that Harris was unlicensed, telling the media she learned about it along with the rest of the world during Wednesday’s hearing. News, and she found the revelation “absolutely shocking.” (She did not respond to a request for comment.) As for Harris herself, follow local media tour, who entered the court yesterday wearing a yellow shirt that read “Trust me”. Readers can decide for themselves, if wise.
But one of the things he said made at least a little bit of sense: “I’ve been attacked, I’ve been followed, I’ve been laughed at, I’ve been mocked, I’ve been disrespected,” Harris Tell WXYZ. Unfortunately, at least some of this is to be expected when most media outlets believe that your driver’s license (or lack thereof) should be of interest to the entire country.
