FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
July 27, 2020
Contact: Sam Inglot, sam@progressmichigan.org
But His Emails! Progress Michigan Wins Unanimous Decision over Schuette at Supreme Court!
Michigan Supreme Court delivers a long-awaited win for transparency
MICHIGAN – On Monday, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Progress Michigan’s favor in a case regarding the email practices of former Attorney General Bill Schuette. The case was originally filed after a FOIA request revealed that Schuette and his staff had been using private email accounts to conduct public business.
After a win by Progress Michigan at the Court of Claims, the suit was dismissed by the Court of Appeals due to the timing of the filing of the complaint. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court reversed the decision of the lower court, holding that the complaint was timely filed.
This decision sends the case back to the Court of Claims, where Progress Michigan will continue its pursuit of the requested emails.
“Bill Schuette used every procedural move he could to evade the Freedom of Information Act, but this unanimous ruling shows what we have said all along, no one is above the law,” said Lonnie Scott, Executive Director of Progress Michigan. “This decision is a win for transparency, and for people across the state of Michigan who deserve to know their elected officials are fully accountable to the people. With this procedural hurdle out of the way, we’re confident we can win on the merits of our case. We look forward to continuing our fight for transparency back at the Court of Claims and finally securing the records ‘Shady Schuette’ tried to hide from the public.”
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