DETROIT – Lawmakers from both parties are asking Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to weigh in after the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission held a closed session during a meeting.
Senators Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) and Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) sent an official request to Nessel, asking her to give an opinion on whether the commission is allowed to meet in a closed session.
The committee was voted into existence in 2018 and tasked with redrawing the state’s political maps. On Wednesday, the committee went into a closed session with its attorney, citing attorney-client privilege to discuss the federal voting rights act.
The constitutional amendment governing the commission clearly states that the commission shall conduct all of its business at public meetings. In addition, the commission is not facing any pending litigation.
The maneuver had both sides of the aisle publicly criticizing the decision.
“I don’t know whether it was simply bad legal advice or whether there was something more untoward going on. How can we know? Since we weren’t allowed in the session,” McBroom said.
Irwin believes an opinion from Nessel would clarify what’s allowed going forward.
“I was just very surprised when I saw that they went into a secret meeting,” Irwin said. “They pushed out the journalists and the public. That was alarming to me as well.”
Read: Michigan redistricting commission holds controversial closed session during public meeting