ex-governor

Michigan court kills Flint water charges against ex-governor, others

Michigan court kills Flint water charges against ex-governor, others

Charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the Flint water scandal must be dismissed after the Michigan Supreme Court said Tuesday that a judge had no power to issue indictments under a century-old, rarely used law. It’s an astonishing defeat for Attorney General Dana Nessel, who took office in 2019, got rid of a special prosecutor and put together a new team to investigate whether crimes were committed when lead contaminated Flint’s water system in 2014-15. State laws “authorize a judge to investigate, subpoena witnesses, and issue arrest warrants” as a one-person grand jury, the Supreme Court said. “But they do not authorize the judge to issue indictments,” the court said in a 6-0 opinion written by Chief Justice Bridget McCormack.