On Friday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed an amicus brief in support of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office emergency





Share or view as webpage [ [link removed] ] | Unsubscribe [ [link removed] ]






Michigan Department of Attorney General Press Release banner [ [link removed] ]




*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
March 3, 2025




*Media Contact:*
Danny Wimmer <[email protected]>






AG Nessel Supports Wayne County in Urging Michigan Supreme Court to Reinstate Anti-Terrorism Law

*LANSING* – On Friday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed an amicus brief (PDF) [ [link removed] ] in support of the emergency application filed by the Wayne County Prosecutor with the Michigan Supreme Court to reverse a recent Michigan Court of Appeals decision that struck down the state’s anti-terrorism statute. The 2002 law makes it a crime to issue a terrorist threat or falsely report an act of terrorism. However, earlier this month, the Court of Appeals ruled that the statute is unconstitutional because it does not require proof that the defendant subjectively understood the threatening nature of the statements or acted recklessly when making them. 

In her brief, Attorney General Nessel argues that the Court of Appeals’ decision is clearly erroneous, as prosecutors are already required through the statute to prove charged defendants intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or sought to influence or affect government conduct through intimidation or coercion. Because of the consequences of the ruling, Attorney General Nessel also urges the Michigan Supreme Court in her brief to either grant peremptory relief to immediately reinstate the law or grant a stay on the decision’s precedential effect while the Court reviews the case consistent with the requests by the Wayne County Prosecutor. 

The Attorney General warns that without swift action, the ruling could leave courts and prosecutors in uncertainty. The Department of Attorney General has eight pending cases under this statute, and additional cases throughout Michigan could face dismissal. 

“There is no doubt that the anti-terrorism law has stopped threats that disrupt our state and has saved lives,” Nessel said. “It has been instrumental in prosecuting threats against schools, law enforcement, and judicial officers. Striking down this crucial law hinders my office’s ability and the ability of prosecutors in all 83 counties from doing their jobs to hold those who threaten our communities accountable, making Michigan less safe. Threats of terrorism are too serious to have an erroneous decision undermine law enforcement’s efforts to protect public safety, and I proudly stand with Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to ensure this law remains in effect.” 

Attorney General Nessel has requested the Court provide a ruling by April 1 to ensure that pending cases can move forward.

 

###






AG logo [ [link removed] ]





*Media Inquiries* <[email protected]>




*Latest Releases* [ [link removed] ]




*File a Complaint* [ [link removed] ]








Connect with us:

facebook icon [ [link removed] ] x icon [ [link removed] ] youtube icon [ [link removed] ] instagram icon [ [link removed] ] linkedin icon [ [link removed] ] govdelivery icon <[email protected]> threads icon [ [link removed] ]

If you wish to no longer receive emails from us, 
please update your preferences here:
Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ]  |  Delete Profile [ [link removed] ]

Need further assistance?
Contact Us  |  Help [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________

Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Attorney General · G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Floor · 525 W. Ottawa St., P.O. Box 30212 · Lansing, MI 48909 · 517-373-1100
body .abe-column-block { min-height: 5px; } table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;} table.govd_hr {min-width: 100%;} p, li, h1, h2, h3 { overflow-wrap: normal; word-wrap: normal; word-break: keep-all; -moz-hyphens: none; -ms-hyphens: none; -webkit-hyphens: none; hyphens: none; mso-hyphenate: none; }