The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan denounced Attorney General Dana Nessel for filing criminal charges last week against nine people involved in peaceful, pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Michigan, saying it was an “unnecessary escalation” that risks “chilling future speech.” “The right to protest peacefully is a cornerstone of our nation’s democracy,” the ACLU said in a lengthy statement. “Many of the charges by the MIOAG broadcast an alarming signal to students who engage in protest on campuses, as well as those who participate in acts of civil disobedience, which are not uncommon in a protest environment.”

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib sharply criticized Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel for filing charges against pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan on Thursday, saying her harsh actions could ruin the lives of bright, young students and set a dangerous precedent for peaceful protests. Tlaib, who was born in Detroit to Palestinian immigrants and is the only Palestinian American member of Congress, condemned the charges as an unjust and heavy-handed response to peaceful civil disobedience.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday that she is filing criminal charges against nine people involved in a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Most of those charged are alumni and students who refused to vacate the encampment on May 21 after police ordered them to leave.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has officially closed the long-running investigation into Michigan State University’s handling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case, citing a lack of new information in recently released documents that the university had withheld for years, she revealed in a report released Wednesday. Despite MSU's eventual decision to release the documents in December 2023, Nessel expressed frustration and disappointment that the records provided no new insights into how Nassar was able to perpetrate his abuse for so long. “MSU has repeatedly justified withholding the documents because they contained information that was allegedly protected by the attorney-client privilege,” the report states.

The parents of two elementary school children who were severely injured when a car violently struck them during a vehicle demonstration at a test track in Auburn Hills in July 2023 filed a lawsuit Monday. The lawsuit was filed in Oakland County Circuit Court against Continental Automotive Systems, Ford Motor Co., the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), and the driver, Linus Gugino.

Detroit rocker Jack White is taking his battle with Donald Trump to the courtroom, making good on his pledge to pursue legal action against the Trump campaign after it used a clip of White’s hit “Seven Nation Army” in a social media post. White and his former White Stripes bandmate Meg White are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.

Michigan has emerged as a national leader in the clean energy sector following a series of ambitious state laws enacted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, according to a report released Monday. With investments from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Whitmer signed a package of bills in November 2023 aimed at creating tens of thousands of jobs, reducing energy costs for families, expanding access to alternative energy sources, setting new carbon emission standards, and requiring utility companies to become more energy efficient.

A little more than a month after Metro Times published a two-part series exposing a former Detroit detective who used illegal tactics to elicit false confessions and witness statements, both prosecutors and police oversight officials pledged to take action Thursday. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy plans to expand a unit dedicated to exonerating innocent people, and the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners is investigating complaints that Detective Barbara Simon engaged in a pattern of criminal wrongdoing.

Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian American activist, filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Democratic Party on Thursday, alleging she may have been cheated in her quest for the Democratic nomination for a seat on the University of Michigan Board of Regents. Arraf claims the party’s process of selecting two nominees for the board on Aug. 24 was marred by voting irregularities, discrepancies, and a lack of transparency. “We cannot be confident in the results that have been announced,” Arraf said at a news conference Thursday.

Mark Craighead, who was exonerated after spending more than seven years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, filed a criminal complaint Wednesday against the Detroit detective who elicited his false confession in June 2000. Craighead alleges former Detective Barbara Simon engaged in a pattern of criminal wrongdoing by committing perjury, illegally detaining suspects for long periods without a warrant, and assaulting and threatening witnesses. Simon was the subject of a two-part Metro Times series that exposed her aggressive and illegal tactics that led to false confessions and wrongful imprisonment.

Livingston County Sheriff Michael Murphy has stepped down from his position on a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for victims of sexual and domestic abuse in the wake of his controversial decision to host former President Donald Trump at the sheriff’s office last month. The Michigan Bureau of Elections is investigating Murphy after Metro Times reported that he may have violated state law by using taxpayer resources to support a political candidate.

Leo, a two-year-old French bulldog, went missing from a yard in Dearborn in August 2023, and his owner had all but given up on ever seeing him again. Then late last month, the Detroit Animal Care and Control received a tip about a dog left inside a boarded-up, deteriorating home on the city’s east side.

Environmental activists reached a “groundbreaking settlement” with Michigan regulators following a civil rights complaint over the state’s disproportionate licensing of hazardous waste facilities in predominantly Black, brown, and lower-income neighborhoods. The settlement, announced Thursday, also addresses the approval of a significant expansion of U.S. Ecology North, a hazardous waste facility in Detroit, which has sparked intense community opposition.

Detroit rocker Jack White slammed Donald Trump, calling him “scum” and his team “fascists,” after the Republican’s presidential campaign used a clip of White’s hit “Seven Nation Army” on a pro-Trump social media post. White said he’s suing the campaign “to add to your 5 thousand others” after Trump’s deputy director of communications, Margo Martin, posted a brief video clip of Trump boarding a plane with White’s music playing in the background.

Less than 90 days after its launch, Detroit-based Sports Rap Radio, touted as the nation’s first sports-talk radio station completely owned by and featuring African American talent, has come to an end — for now. Rob Parker, a well-known sports radio host with roots in Detroit, launched Sports Rap Radio in early June, with the goal of adding Black voices at a time when local sports radio is dominated by white hosts.

Protesters gathered outside the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, calling for an independent and extensive review of all cases handled by a former Detroit detective accused of putting innocent Black men behind bars for two decades. Demonstrators also urged Prosecutor Kym Worthy to file charges against retired Detective Barbara Simon for allegedly committing perjury and unlawfully detaining suspects and witnesses while working in the homicide division in the 1990s and early 2000s. The protest was prompted by a two-part Metro Times series that showed how Simon confined young suspects and witnesses to small rooms at police headquarters for hours without a warrant.

Protesters plan to rally outside the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday to demand a thorough review of all cases handled by a former Detroit detective who terrorized young Black men for nearly two decades. The protest comes a little more than a month after Metro Times launched a series about Detective Barbara Simon, who confined young suspects and witnesses to small rooms at police headquarters for hours without a warrant.

A former employee of the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center is suing the hotel chain after she alleges she was sexually assaulted by a manager and then forced to leave her job. The Dearborn woman, whom Metro Times won’t identify because she was the victim of an alleged crime, claims in the lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court that the Detroit Marriott “created a sexually hostile environment” and failed to protect her. According to the lawsuit, manager Dhurba Koirala invited the employee to his hotel room at the end of her shift at 1 p.m. on Aug. 8 “under the guise that other employees would be present.”

The Michigan Bureau of Elections is investigating a complaint that alleges the Shelby Township Police Department violated state law by using public resources earlier this month to host a campaign event featuring Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance. The complaint was filed Friday, two days after Metro Times raised questions about the legality of recent Donald Trump campaign events at the Shelby Township Police Department and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office.