Michigan Sued Over Emergency Manager Law

Complaint argues it violates citizens' due process

Michigan's new emergency-manager law is unconstitutional because it allows unelected officials to rule by decree over municipal governments and school boards, according to a lawsuit seeking to overturn the statute.

Union officials and school board and council members in cities including Benton Harbor and Flint claim the law violates citizens' due process rights under the U.S. Constitution. The law, passed in December after voters rejected an earlier emergency-manager measure in November 2012, takes effect today.

The complaint, filed yesterday in federal court in Detroit, names Governor Rick Snyder and Treasurer Andy Dillon as defendants and seeks to overturn the statute. The plaintiffs asked the court to immediately bar emergency managers from exercising authority and to void any consent agreements established under the statute.