Michigan Attorney General Publishes Final Flint Water Crisis Accountability Report

Dana Nessel, Michigan’s attorney general, issued a comprehensive 101-page report on the Flint water crisis, calling it the final step her office can take toward accountability. The dossier recounts how the 2014 decision to draw water from the Flint River caused lead to leach from aging pipes, exposing residents—especially children—to dangerous levels of the metal. Prosecutors pursued 42 criminal counts against nine individuals, among them former Republican Governor Rick Snyder, but the state Supreme Court struck down the indictments in 2022, saying a single judge could not act as a grand jury.

Nessel, who took office in 2019 and replaced a special prosecutor, said the report offers a transparent account of the investigative work that never reached a courtroom. She defended the strategy of seeking charges directly from a judge as the “smartest possible move” at the time and highlighted the political ties of the justices involved. The release comes amid ongoing civil settlements, including a $626 million payout to Flint residents, and underscores the community’s continued demand for justice.