Gov. Snyder & AG Schuette arguing that Emergency Managers are not state officials in Flint Water
Michigan Gov. Snyder & AG Schuette arguing that Emergency Managers are not state officials in Flint Water Crisis lawsuit
In what can only be described as a Hail Mary attempt to use the Jedi Mind Trick on three judges on the Michigan Court of Appeals, Attorney General Bill Schuettes Assistant Attorney General Nathan Gambill is arguing that Emergency Managers appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder are not state officials:
The Michigan Court of Appeals is weighing legal arguments which may determine if a class action lawsuit against the state concerning the Flint water crisis may go forward.
The lawsuit is seeking damages from the state for Flint residents affected by decisions that created the citys tap water problems. Its one of many lawsuits related to the water crisis.
The state is challenging key parts of the class action suit, including whether emergency managers appointed by the governor are actually state officials.
Unquestionably it is a significant amount of power, Assistant Attorney General Nathan Gambill argued before the three-judge panel, But that doesnt make them state officials. Their authority is limited to only acting on behalf of local officials. Thats not statewide.
Lets examine this premise for a moment, shall we? The easiest way for us to do that is to have a look at Public Act 436, the latest iteration of Michigans odious Emergency Manager law, passed by our Republican legislature and signed into law after voters got rid of the former version Public Act 4 in November 2012. It took just 37 days after voters spoke for Republicans to pass a nearly identical version of the law and put it on the books, this time with an appropriation to make it veto-proof (or, as I like to call it: democracy-proof.)
Read more:
http://www.eclectablog.com/2018/01/these-arent-the-criminals-youre-looking-for-michigan-gov-snyder-ag-schuette-arguing-that-emergency-managers-are-not-state-officials-in-flint-water-crisis-lawsuit.html