The drunk driving trial of Flint Councilman, Eric Mays, resumed again in the Flint District Court on June 12, after a break that lasted almost two weeks. Mays, who is representing himself in the trial, has had a rocky go of it so far.

Mays has infuriated the judge on numerous occasions throughout the trial for his lack of knowledge on court procedure, and his many attempts to turn the trial into an opportunity to prove his theory of a political conspiracy against him. The prosecuting attorney also has struggled with Mays, who is unfamiliar with the legal process and as a result, has inadvertently stifled the proceedings.

May’s defense strategy has its basis in the assumption that all of the charges against him have been created as part of a conspiracy by his political enemies to force him to resign from office. He has, however, struggled to prove this, as the judge has refused him permission to call political figures as witnesses, who do not directly relate to the case or the events on the night in question.

The hearing on Thursday lasted only 90 minutes, and the jurors only entered the courtroom for a moment to be told that they were required to return for the closing arguments on June 26th, as the case was delayed due to scheduling conflicts.

Most of the time in court was spent arguing motions about whether the testimonies of May’s intended witnesses were actually relevant to the case. The judge dismissed many of the witnesses Mays intended to call after ruling that information they would be sharing with the jury had nothing at all to do with the case.

In addition, when Mays recalled two of the Flint police officers in order to cross-examine them a second time, the judge ruled that they would not be allowed in front of the jury on the grounds that they wouldn’t be providing any new information. “This case has always been about whether the police have been honest and truthful,”  said Mays.

Mays has rested his case, after deciding not to take the stand and testify on his own behalf. He said that he made that choice as a result of his mistrust of presiding judge Nathaniel Perry III and the prosecutor, Michael Gildner.

On his facebook page, Mays wrote: “Representing yourself in a court of law is a challenge. I pray for the jury to be just and fair as to the beyond a reasonable doubt standard that they must go by. There have been some very very questionable testimony by three police in my case. You never know…… Faith…..Amen.”