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3w ago

Michigan AG Concludes No State Criminal Prosecutions Will Proceed in Flint Water Crisis

A final, redacted report says a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that voided one-person grand jury indictments and expired time limits make retrials or new state charges legally impractical.

FILE - A sample of lead pipe from Flint, Mich., sits on display during a tour of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Center For Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, Feb. 14, 2023, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)
FILE = The Flint River flows Jan. 6, 2022, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
FILE - Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder delivers his State of the State address at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Jan. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)
FILE - The Flint water plant tower is seen, Jan. 6, 2022, in Flint, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Overview

  • The Michigan Department of Attorney General released a more-than-100-page, redacted report Tuesday that documents its yearslong criminal investigation and explains why no state prosecutions will move forward.
  • Prosecutors used a one-person grand jury to gather evidence and seek indictments, but the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that procedure invalid in 2022, leading to the dismissal of most charges including the case against former governor Rick Snyder.
  • The report says statutes of limitations have expired for most potential crimes and cites other legal, evidentiary, and financial obstacles that make restarting prosecutions impractical.
  • The document includes court-required redactions because Michigan law bars public release of material presented only to that one-person grand jury.
  • Flint residents and leaders expressed deep disappointment over the lack of criminal trials even as the city has replaced lead lines, the EPA lifted its emergency order in May 2025, and a roughly $626 million civil settlement provided financial relief many say has been uneven and insufficient.