By Arpan Lobo
The Michigan Supreme Court (click here) sided with a trio of former state officials charged for their involvement in the Flint drinking water crisis, issuing an opinion Tuesday that a lower court judge erred in using a "one-man grand jury" to issue indictments against the officials last year.
The unanimous opinion, with one justice not participating, calls for the cases against former state officials Nick Lyon, Nancy Peeler and Richard Baird to return to the Genesee Circuit Court for preliminary examinations.
In 2021, Genesee County Circuit Judge David Newblatt charged the group, and six others — including former Gov. Rick Snyder — for their involvement in the Flint water crisis, without a preliminary examination, which allows for cross-examination of witnesses before trial. Appeals to Newblatt's decision were rejected, bringing arguments to the Michigan Supreme Court.
