LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – After a four-year courtroom timeout, Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel’s controversial “Hate Crimes Unit” is finally being challenged in federal court.
According to the Daily Signal, American Freedom Law Center (AFLC), a conservative Judeo-Christian legal group, is arguing that Nessel weaponized her office by teaming up with the discredited Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to label political opponents as dangerous “hate groups.”
Labeling dissenters as hate groups.
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Launched in 2019, Nessel’s Hate Crimes Unit proudly parroted SPLC talking points, promoting a list of “hate groups” in Michigan. But here’s the twist: that list included religious liberty advocates, parental rights groups like Moms for Liberty, and, yes, the AFLC, which the SPLC refers to as an “anti-Muslim hate group.”
So what was the alleged hate crime of the AFLC? It appears to be disagreeing with progressive orthodoxy. According to AFLC co-founder Robert Muise, Nessel’s policy boiled down to: “We’re going to keep files on you.” Big Brother meets Big Government – with a splash of taxpayer funding.
American Freedom Law Center Co-Founder and Senior Counsel Robert Muise told the Daily Signal, “The U.S. Constitution does not permit the Michigan attorney general and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to weaponize their government offices to target political opponents.”
According to AFLC’s filings, no criminal conduct or unlawful activities have ever been linked to them – just opinions that don’t align with Nessel’s worldview.
Speech is free – unless it’s conservative.
The lawsuit alleges that Nessel and her allies violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments by endorsing SPLC’s partisan “hate map” and letting it dictate who should be monitored. Never mind that the SPLC’s track record includes labeling Ben Carson an extremist for his views on marriage – and paying over $3 million to a Muslim reformer for a defamatory designation.
No comment from the AG’s office – but plenty of history.
Despite repeated requests for comment from the Daily Signal, Nessel and the SPLC have stayed quiet about the lawsuit. But past remarks speak volumes. In 2019, Nessel said in a partisan rant after the lawsuit was filed, “Only in Trump’s America do you get sued for pledging to prosecute hate crimes and pursue organizations that engage in illegal conduct against minority communities. I will never back down on my commitment to protect the safety of all Michiganders. Bring it.”
Judgment Day is June 2nd.
The case stalled for years – COVID being the convenient excuse – but it is now set for a June 2nd hearing. Both sides have filed motions for summary judgment. The AFLC isn’t seeking damages, just a judicial declaration that Nessel’s political blacklist was unconstitutional. And after years of waiting, they’re hoping the court puts an end to government-sponsored thought policing dressed up as civil rights enforcement.
Michigan News Source contacted the AFLC about their upcoming court date. They responded by saying, “We are looking forward to our day in court. And we are hopeful that the judge will rule in our favor and finally put a stop to the Michigan Attorney General’s weaponization of her office to attack political opponents based on their political and religious viewpoints.”
