Dana's Dispatch: Enbridge case update, medication abortion litigation, ex-priest sentenced, & more!

[logo]( Attorney General asks to move Enbridge case back to state court Attorney General Dana Nessel asked a U.S. Court of Appeals to decide if her lawsuit against Enbridge, the company that owns the Line 5 pipeline running through the Straits of Mackinac, will remain in federal court or go back to state court. The case was originally filed in Ingham County’s Circuit Court in 2019. Enbridge was able to remove a related lawsuit filed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer from state court and move it to federal court. Following this, the pipeline and energy company did the same with Nessel’s case, which had been litigated in state court for over a year. Nessel said in the summer of 2020, the state court ordered that the pipelines be temporarily shut down due to external impacts from anchors or other objects. The parties had also filed and argued motions for summary disposition, with each side asking the state court to decide the case in their favor without a trial. According to Nessel, due to the delay caused by Enbridge’s removal, those motions remain undecided. Nessel filed a motion to remand her lawsuit back to state court. She argued that the removal was untimely and the federal court lacked jurisdiction. Nessel said in August 2022, the district court denied that motion. In response, Nessel filed a motion with the district court asking the court to certify the decision for interlocutory appeal which was pending for over five months. Last month, Nessel filed a petition for a writ of mandamus in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the district court made clear legal errors and abused its discretion and asked the federal court to send the case back to state court. Nessel said the federal trial court granted the Attorney General’s motion to certify the denial, which opened the door to the Attorney General to appeal this matter to the federal court of appeals. Nessel said she argued that the federal court’s decision snatched the case away from the state court after substantial litigation had taken place and while both parties were awaiting a final decision. The Attorney General believes that the federal trial court clearly erred when it refused to send the case back to state court. “This pipeline poses a grave threat to Michigan and to our Great Lakes,” Nessel said. “Enbridge initially agreed that this case belonged in state court and waited two years to move it to federal court. I am grateful that the district court has now recognized that an appeal is appropriate, and I look forward to raising these important issues in the Sixth Circuit.” [READ MORE]( George Castle, WNEM (March 3, 2023) Attorney General asks to move Enbridge case back to state court Retrieved from: [Attorney General asks to move Enbridge case back to state court](   Attorney General Dana Nessel Releases Video Outlining Litigation That Could Alter the Legality of Medication Abortions Nationwide Attorney General Dana Nessel released a video today explaining two federal district court lawsuits that have the potential to alter the legality of medication abortions nationwide. [[ratio]  ]( Michigan Attorney General on YouTube @michiganattorneygeneral6351 “This attempt to effectively ban abortion nationwide is just as dire, if not more so, than what we saw last year when the Supreme Court overturned 50 years of precedent and overruled Roe v Wade,” said Nessel. “Medication abortion accounts for over half of all abortions occurring in the United States, and offers women a safe, accessible, noninvasive alternative. I will continue to use the power of the Michigan Department of Attorney General to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of our state’s residents in any way I can.” Department of Attorney General (February 27, 2023) Attorney General Dana Nessel Releases Video Outlining Litigation That Could Alter the Legality of Medication Abortions Nationwide Retrieved from: [New Litigation Could Affect Legality of Reproductive Healthcare in America](   Ex-priest sentenced for sexually assaulting boy in 2004 A former Michigan priest that was convicted last October of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old boy in 2004 in a Detroit-area church has been sentenced, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday. Joseph "Jack" Baker, 61, was sentenced to serve 3 to 15 years in prison for a conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under the age of 13. Baker will undergo lifetime sex offender registration. “My department’s clergy abuse investigation team has worked tirelessly on behalf of survivors in this state to ensure that reported cases of sexual abuse or assault are thoroughly reviewed,” Nessel said. “We are grateful to have obtained some measure of justice on this matter and many others, further breaking down the walls of silence which often surround sexual assault and abuse," Nessel said. [READ MORE]( UpNorthLive Newsroom (March 1, 2023) Ex-priest sentenced for sexually assaulting boy in 2004 Nationwide Retrieved from: [Ex-priest sentenced for sexually assaulting boy in 2004](   Attorney General Dana Nessel Testifies in Support of Gun Safety Legislation Attorney General Dana Nessel testified before the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee in support of gun safety legislation. [[ratio]  ]( Dana Nessel, Michigan Attorney General on You Tube @dananesselmichiganattorney4091 “As the top law enforcement agent in the state of Michigan, and as a mother, I too am exasperated and disgusted that thousands of Michigan residents fall victim each year to the scourge of senseless, preventable gun violence in our state,” Nessel testified. “These are practical and effective measures that are already saving lives in other states and will here as well. In the event that they are challenged in court, it would be my duty and honor to defend them. I pledge that when these laws are enacted, I will use every tool of my office to ensure that every Michigan resident is informed about these laws and that they will be vigorously enforced.”   KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DANA: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Web Site]( Any donor history information in this email reflects what we have on file for this specific email address. 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