“It’s been almost four months since the voters said ‘we don’t want our citizens to be criminals,” Hoffman said. He notes it passed overwhelmingly, with 58-percent of voters in favor.

“So it may not be a big deal to some people but to those people who are getting lifetime criminal records it’s a big deal, right?” Hoffman proposed.

via Despite judge’s approval, Grand Rapids waits to decriminalize marijuana | Michigan Radio.

Sundstrom says he and other city officials met with some county judges, who explained Judge Sullivan is likely to rule on the case in late April. 

Sundstrom says if an appeal did come, he would not wait to implement the change at that point.

The prosecutor tried to get a restraining order to stop the city’s administration from implementing the charter, while the judge heard the merits of the case.

But Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Sullivan said it was okay for the city to make the change before he decides the case. Sullivan declined the restraining order because he said the prosecutor couldn’t prove it would cause any immediate harm.