Prosecutors are signaling that they want to pursue the same charges against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and eight others in the Flint crisis over lead-contaminated water.
The attorney general's office responded by asking two Flint-area judges to simply turn the indictments into common criminal complaints and let the charges proceed.
“The motion filed by the solicitor general is nothing short of ridiculous,” said Chip Chamberlain, attorney for former state health director Nick Lyon. Lyon’s lawyers led the challenge that resulted in a unanimous Supreme Court ruling Tuesday that a judge sitting as a one-person grand jury had no power under Michigan law to return indictments.
Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud insists the Supreme Court's opinion was only about procedure. She said anyone facing felonies would now be entitled to hearings to challenge evidence.“The Supreme Court did not question the merit of our cases, nor evaluate the evidence in these proceedings. ... These motions confirm our commitment to keep fighting for the people of Flint," Hammoud said in a written statement.