Dana's Dispatch: Protecting Privacy and Civil Rights, Securing Firearms, Stopping Robocalls & More!

--------------------------------------------------------------- GOP attorney general hopefuls seek to overturn landmark contraception law, want election ‘audit’ As Michigan Attorney General, I will continue to defend the constitutional right to privacy and to ensure (and, oh my God, I can't believe I have to say this) your legal right to use contraceptives in our state. This is definitely a campaign promise I never imagined having to make. It may have been the last question of last week’s debate for the three men seeking the GOP nomination for Michigan attorney general, but the inquiry seeking their stances on a 1965 Supreme Court ruling has garnered the most attention. The question concerned the high court’s decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, a landmark decision that struck down Connecticut’s ban on the sale of contraception. Citing a “right to marital privacy,” Griswold helped to pave the way for 1973’s Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion that many experts expect will be overturned or gutted by the right-wing-majority Supreme Court this year. However, at Friday night’s forum at Alpena Community College, all three candidates — Former House Speaker Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt), state Rep. Ryan Berman (R-Commerce Twp) and Kalamazoo-based attorney Matthew DePerno, indicated they thought the issue was wrongly decided and trampled on states’ rights. While that drew a hearty round of applause from Friday’s audience, it prompted a less than celebratory response from the woman all three candidates are hoping to replace this November. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, tweeted out afterward it was “terrifying” that the three Republicans running for Michigan attorney general “just stated that they oppose the ruling in Griswold v Connecticut which outlawed prosecuting married couples for using contraception.” [READ MORE]( Jon King, Michigan Advance (20 February, 2022) GOP attorney general hopefuls seek to overturn landmark contraception law, want election ‘audit’ Retrieved from: [GOP attorney general hopefuls seek to overturn landmark contraception law, want election ‘audit’]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Alarm as Trump backs ‘big lie’ candidates for key election posts in Michigan Michigan faces a precipice this November. On one side of the ballot, is law and order and adherence to the constitution. And on the other side is lawlessness and a failure to commit to even the most basic tenets of our democracy. Which side are you on? Donald Trump has endorsed rightwing Republican candidates who support his baseless claims of a stolen election for key posts in Michigan, raising the prospect of a Trumpist takeover of how the key battleground state might run its elections. Trump and his allies are backing numerous candidates in the coming midterm elections across the US, including in other vital states like Arizona and Georgia. But his intervention in Michigan raises particular eyebrows due to its role in helping Trump to win in 2016, before flipping back to the Democrats in 2020 and helping oust him from office. The former US president and his close ally Mike Lindell, the My Pillow CEO, are giving strong backing to a Michigan lawyer and key promoter of debunked election fraud charges who is seeking the Republican nod to be the state’s next attorney general. [READ MORE]( Peter Stone, The Guardian (14 February, 2022) Alarm as Trump backs ‘big lie’ candidates for key election posts in Michigan Retrieved from: [Alarm as Trump backs ‘big lie’ candidates for key election posts in Michigan]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan AG sues Breedsville over filling dam The Village of Breedsville has had years to properly address the environmental concerns created by this improper response. We will continue to work with our client agency to ensure appropriate action is taken to protect that area - and the community - from additional damage. Photo courtesy of Wood TV, Wood TV Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a civil lawsuit against the Village of Breedsville after they improperly filled a regulated wetland area and riverbed, which violates the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, she claims. The complaint was filed on behalf of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. In 2008, a dam on the South Branch Black River suffered a breach, causing impounded water to be released uncontrollably. At the time, EGLE told the village that if it was going to rebuild the dam, it would need a permit. In 2020, EGLE staff noticed an unauthorized placement of fill in a section of the river. Work continued even after a notice to the village president to stop the work. EGLE filed several complaints after that, finding that the village kept filling the dam and other wetlands, bottomlands, and floodplain. Nessel’s filed complaint requests that the Village of Breedsville pay a civil fine, remove the fill and restore the river to how it was before the violations. It also asks that Breedsville be banned from violating NREPA in the future. [READ MORE]( Anna Skog, WoodTV (15 February, 2022) Michigan AG sues Breedsville over filling dam Retrieved from: [Michigan AG sues Breedsville over filling dam]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan AG calls for legislation on securing firearms It remains unconscionable that our gun laws do not include common sense safety measures. We must act properly to address gun violence in our schools, which is why I wholeheartedly support safe storage legislation — for our kids, for our educators and for our communities. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is joining several lawmakers who are calling on legislative action on secure firearm storage bills. Nessel says, the bills – often referred to as safe storage legislation – have not moved since they were introduced in June. According to a news release, Senate Bill 550, introduced by Sen. Bayer, and House Bill 5066, introduced by Rep. Felicia Brabec (D-Ann Arbor) would require guns to be stored safely in order to prevent injury, and provide criminal penalties if failure to safely store a gun results in injury or death. Nessel goes onto say, guns would have to be kept in a secure lock box, in a location a reasonable person would believe is secure, or securely locked with a locking device. [READ MORE]( Associated Press, Mid-Michigan Now (15 February, 2022) Michigan A-G calls for legislation on securing firearms Retrieved from: [Michigan A-G calls for legislation on securing firearms]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AG Nessel, Department of Civil Rights File to Protect Citizens from Sexual Orientation Discrimination Before Michigan Supreme Court For more than 40 years, members of the LGBTQ+ community have been denied protection under our state's civil rights act. In 14 days, I'm personally arguing a case before the Michigan Supreme Court to try to change that. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, on behalf of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) and the director of the MDCR, is challenging a Court of Claims' ruling that the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) does not prohibit discrimination because of an individual's sexual orientation. The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to hear the landmark case. "We're arguing before the Michigan Supreme Court that all Michiganders are entitled to the same civil rights. It's long past time for our State to recognize sexual orientation as protected from discrimination under the law," Nessel said. The lawsuit, Rouch World LLC et al v Michigan Department of Civil Rights et al, was brought by businesses that denied services to customers who were either a same-sex couple or an individual who was transitioning their gender identity. In 2018, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission (MCRC) adopted an interpretive statement that "sex," as used in the ELCRA, included protections for individuals on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. This interpretation by the MCRC allowed the MDCR to begin processing complaints of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. [READ MORE]( Office of the Attorney General, State of Michigan (16 February, 2022) AG Nessel, Department of Civil Rights File to Protect Citizens from Sexual Orientation Discrimination Before Michigan Supreme Court Retrieved from: [AG Nessel, Department of Civil Rights File to Protect Citizens from Sexual Orientation Discrimination Before Michigan Supreme Court]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Macomb man created fake Facebook account to sell blank COVID vaccination cards, AG says We continue to see scams related to COVID-19 surface in Michigan. Let this be a warning to those who try to profit from the pandemic. We will continue to dig into complaints and vigorously pursue those who violate the MCPA. Michigan’s attorney general has taken action against a Macomb man who created a fake Facebook account to sell blank COVID vaccination cards, she said. Christopher Holland, of Macomb, is accused of soliciting buyers for blank COVID vaccination cards on the Mom2MomSwap-Macomb County Facebook page, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Officials said they determined that the Facebook account behind the posts was a fake persona. On Sept. 3, an order authorized Nessel’s office to lean on Facebook and internet providers for additional information behind the account. An investigation found that Holland was responsible for the fake page and posts, Nessel said. Nessel’s civil action requests that the court declares Holland engaged in unlawful conduct in violation of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. She wants him to pay back attorney fees and investigation costs and be formally banned from selling goods and services under a false identity. [READ MORE]( Derick Hutchinson, Click on Detroit (16 February, 2022) Macomb man created fake Facebook account to sell blank COVID vaccination cards, AG says Retrieved from: [Macomb man created fake Facebook account to sell blank COVID vaccination cards, AG says]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Subpoenas issued for ‘AT&T DirecTV’ scam calls We are doing everything we can to track down and stop the persons or entities responsible for causing Michiganders to endure these illegal robocalls. If you receive a call offering you a massive discount on DirecTV services, consider the possibility it’s a scam. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock, WLNS Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel issued subpoenas that she says will allow her department to learn more about scammers pretending to offer AT&T DirecTV services. Judge Joyce Draganchuk of the Ingham County Circuit Court authorized the Attorney General to issue subpoenas based on an Ex Parte Petition. The petition explains over half a million scam calls impact Michiganders each month. The goal is to stop illegal robocalls. “VoIP services convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. VoIP service providers route outgoing and incoming calls, converting the digital signal to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination. These services are a cheap way for robocallers to make millions of scam calls from anywhere in the world, in a matter of minutes,” the petition explains. “The purposes of this investigation are to ascertain the Unknown Caller Respondent’s true identity and location; the identities of Unknown VoIP Provider Respondents causing the illegal robocalls to be made; and to obtain documents and records relevant to Respondent thinQ’s business practices in relation to the fake ‘AT&T DirecTV’ calls.” [READ MORE]( Samana Sheikh, WLNS (17 February, 2022) Subpoenas issued for ‘AT&T DirecTV’ scam calls Retrieved from: [Subpoenas issued for ‘AT&T DirecTV’ scam calls]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for being a part of Dana's re-election campaign! Sending emails is a crucial way to keep supporters like you updated on Dana's fight for justice and progress. Plus, this campaign is fueled by grassroots supporters like you! 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