Dana Nessel

Michigan voters head to the polls Nov. 3, with early voting running through Nov. 1. Top of the ballot: an open U.S. Senate seat pitting Democrat Abdul El-Sayed against Republican Mike Rogers, and a governor's race to succeed term-limited Gretchen Whitmer, featuring Democrat Jocelyn Benson against Republican John James. Down-ballot contests include attorney general (Eli Savit vs. Doug Lloyd) and secretary of state (Garlin Gilchrist II vs. Anthony Forlini), plus two statewide proposals — one on calling a constitutional convention, another limiting corporate political contributions.

Detroit voters also pick five school board members, and Wayne and Oakland counties weigh a museum funding millage.

A Clare County, Michigan couple, Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau, both 41, was bound over to circuit court on felony charges tied to an alleged scheme that used a local excavation company's identity to fraudulently finance and resell $2 million in equipment and vehicles. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office said the pair obtained financing for 44 pieces of equipment, resold them without titles, and filed false tax returns for 2019 through 2024. Hite faces charges including conducting a criminal enterprise, identity theft, and false pretenses; Bureau faces 10 charges. Conducting a criminal enterprise carries up to 20 years in prison. The case is pending in the 55th Circuit Court.

Michigan voters will pick new occupants for two open statewide offices in 2026, as Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are term-limited. For attorney general, Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit (D), known for progressive criminal justice reforms, faces Eaton County prosecutor Doug Lloyd (R), who favors a more traditional approach and has criticized Nessel's record. For secretary of state, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II (D) is running on election security and expanded voter access, against Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini (R), who emphasizes election integrity and voter roll accuracy. Both races will shape election administration and legal enforcement in a key swing state.

Jonathan Sipes, 36, a corrections officer at Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian, Michigan, was arraigned in Lenawee County on one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of aggravated indecent exposure, the Michigan Attorney General's office announced.

Authorities allege Sipes assaulted or exposed himself to a fellow corrections officer on multiple occasions during 2024 and 2025, both inside the facility and in its parking lot, including an incident in November 2025 that prompted the victim to report the conduct and prior incidents to the Michigan Department of Corrections. The department referred the matter to Michigan State Police, which investigated before charges were filed. Attorney General Dana Nessel said the alleged abuse by a fellow officer is "heinous and unacceptable." A probable cause conference and bond hearing are set for Oct. 7, with a preliminary examination scheduled for Oct. 14.

A coalition of 25 states and cities, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, has filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency over its repeal of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards, which required power plants to cut greenhouse gas emissions using carbon capture technology. Michigan, California, and other states joined the petition filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, arguing the EPA rescinded the rule without weighing reasonable alternatives or the health and climate costs of increased pollution.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the repeal would worsen extreme weather risks already facing the state, including heat, storms, flooding, and wildfire smoke. Power plants are the second-largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions after vehicles, accounting for roughly a quarter of the country's carbon dioxide output. The coalition also notified the EPA that it intends to sue separately over the agency's failure to regulate emissions from existing natural gas power plants, signaling further legal battles ahead over the Trump administration's environmental rollback efforts.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-2 unsigned order, declined to disturb a preliminary injunction halting enforcement of a new U.S. Postal Service rule ahead of the 2026 midterms, drawing praise from officials in Michigan, Illinois, Colorado, and other states. The rule, issued after a March executive order from President Trump, would have required states to submit lists of mail-eligible voters and adopt standardized, trackable envelopes, with USPS withholding delivery of noncompliant ballots. The court said the government was unlikely to succeed on the merits given the midterms' proximity; Justices Alito and Thomas dissented, while Kavanaugh agreed the restrictions should not take effect for this election but suggested the government's underlying arguments could be reconsidered if similar rules were proposed earlier for a future election.

Michigan and 24 other states, including Illinois, sued within hours of the rule's publication, leading to a restraining order and then a Sept. 4 injunction that the high court left intact. Officials in Michigan, Illinois, and Colorado called the ruling a win for state authority over elections, while Trump denounced the decision on social media, criticizing the justices he appointed. The court did not rule on the rule's underlying legality, leaving that fight to continue in lower courts; existing mail-ballot processes remain unchanged as states begin distributing ballots for November. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the ruling turned partly on timing and that election-security efforts would continue beyond this cycle. In North Carolina, postal workers and union leaders have publicly defended mail-in voting's integrity amid ongoing fraud claims, as absentee voting proceeds under established security measures.

A Wayne County judge has sentenced Damon Bentley, 28, of Detroit to 27 to 50 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old Westland man outside the Grand Lofts apartment complex in Southwest Detroit. Judge Williams-Claybourne of the 3rd Circuit Court handed down the sentence on Sept. 11, following a July jury conviction on charges of second-degree murder, felony firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon.

Prosecutors said Bentley shot the victim eight times on May 4, 2025, outside the apartment complex. The Michigan Department of Attorney General charged Bentley that same month. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the conviction delivered justice for the victim's family, while reaffirming her office's commitment to prosecuting violent crime in the state.