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On Thursday, protesters in Detroit came out in support of a lawsuit filed on Wednesday challenging Michigan’s emergency manager law. The lawsuit claimed that the law “effectively establishes a new form of government” in the state. Protesters marched on government buildings and demonstrated against the appointment of an emergency manager for the city and five other cities in Michigan.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Detroit seeks an injunction to block the takeover of six Michigan cities and three school districts by emergency managers. Under Michigan’s law, emergency managers can do almost everything and wield the combined powers of elected city councils and mayors without any supervision from the city government.
Kevin Orr, a former bankruptcy lawyer has already received appointment as the emergency manager of Detroit the “Motor city.”
The lawsuit comes within three days of Orr assuming office on Monday. The tasks of how to get Detroit out of debts and liabilities to the tune of $14 billion, and make up for a fiscal-year deficit close to $100 million, certainly become more difficult with a lawsuit questioning his authority.
Michigan governor Rick Snyder, who appointed Kevin Orr, told reporters on Thursday that “our track record is pretty good in winning lawsuits,” and having to face such lawsuits was “part of democracy.”
Herb Sanders, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs said the legislation was unreasonable, because, “the governor can arbitrarily determine what communities will have a democratic form of government and what communities will have a dictator. We now have a dictatorship in Detroit.”
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Plaintiffs in the lawsuit included board members of the Detroit Public Schools, elected officials from Benton Harbor, representatives from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, as well as a group of Baptist preachers from Detroit. Rick Snyder and Andrew Dillon, the state’s treasurer, were among defendants.
