Indictments against former Gov. Rick Snyder and 7 others are invalid in Flint water scandal, Michigan Supreme Court rules

A judge had no authority to issue indictments in the Flint water scandal, the Michigan Supreme Court said Tuesday, wiping out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and seven other people.

It's an astonishing defeat for Attorney General Dana Nessel, who took office in 2019, got rid of a special prosecutor and put together a new team to investigate whether crimes were committed when lead contaminated Flint's water system in 2014-15.

State laws "authorize a judge to investigate, subpoena witnesses, and issue arrest warrants" as a one-person grand jury, the Supreme Court said.