Michigan Supreme Court reject final effort to hold key figure accountable in water crisis

In a decisive blow to the Flint water scandal prosecution, the Michigan Supreme Court dismissed a final appeal on Wednesday to reinstate criminal charges against seven individuals, including former Gov. Rick Snyder. The ruling solidifies a 2022 decision that declared the initial charges unconstitutional, effectively stymying the state’s years-long effort to hold public officials accountable for the crisis.

The attorney general’s office had previously relied on an unorthodox legal mechanism—a one-judge grand jury—to return indictments against nine people. However, the state’s highest court deemed this process unconstitutional last year, invalidating all associated charges.

Undeterred, state prosecutors revisited Flint courts, arguing that a simple refiling of documents could revive the charges. This position faced consecutive rejections across lower courts and has now been ultimately dismissed by the Michigan Supreme Court. “We are not persuaded that the question presented should be reviewed by this court,” read the court’s brief, one-sentence orders issued on Wednesday.

The attorney general’s office has not yet responded to requests for comment. The orders were filed against notable figures such as former state health director Nick Lyon and former state medical executive Eden Wells, among others.

Snyder, initially charged with willful neglect of duty—a misdemeanor—has also seen the indictment against him dismissed. The Supreme Court did not address his case in Wednesday’s ruling due to a separate appeals timetable.

The crisis in question occurred in 2014 when Snyder-appointed managers began using the Flint River as a water source without adequately treating it to reduce corrosion. This oversight led to lead contamination for 18 months. Both Lyon and Wells were charged with involuntary manslaughter, accused of failing to promptly warn the public about a fatal Legionnaires’ disease outbreak linked to the water change.

The indictment also extended to Snyder’s former aides and other city officials, all of which have been invalidated by the court’s ruling.

While prosecutors could technically start anew, any traditional legal approach now faces the obstacle of Michigan’s six-year statute of limitations.

Since 2016, efforts by the attorney general’s office—under both Republican and Democratic leadership—have resulted in no felony convictions or jail sentences related to the Flint water crisis. Seven individuals pleaded no contest to misdemeanors, which were later expunged from their records.