Ex-Michigan health chief asks court to end Flint water saga

Lawyers for Michigan’s former health director are urging an appeals court to quickly stop an effort to revive criminal charges related to the Flint water crisis of 2014-15.

Nick Lyon’s defense team made the plea this week in response to a pledge by prosecutors to try to save indictments that were declared invalid by the Michigan Supreme Court. It’s the latest volley in the legal saga.

The attorney general’s office lost a unanimous Supreme Court decision in June, and a Genesee County judge subsequently dismissed charges against Lyon and six other people. But prosecutors are refusing to give up.

They argue the indictments, an uncommon tool in state court, can instantly be turned into traditional criminal charges, a losing argument so far. They said they’ll appeal Judge Elizabeth Kelly’s Oct. 4 ruling.