Nov. 13, 2026 | This Week in Government: 8 Big Issues AG-Elect Savit is About to Inherit

Each week, the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Government Relations team, in partnership with Gongwer, provides members with a collection of timely updates from both local and state governments. Stay in the know on the latest legislation, policy priorities, and more. Sign up for the Chamber’s weekly newsletter, This Week in Government.

Attorney General-elect Eli Savit will inherit heaps of pending lawsuits from outgoing Attorney General Dana Nessel in January, ranging from cases challenging President Donald Trump to high-stakes environmental and antitrust suits.

Unlike the last time the AG’s office flipped, Savit will follow an outgoing Democrat, so his approach to pending cases isn’t likely to be nearly as dramatic. Still, the state’s new top attorney will be immediately thrust into a pivotal role in the center of some of the biggest legal fights playing out in the state and the country.

“Generally speaking, I have a ton of respect for the work that AG Nessel has done as our attorney general,” Savit told Gongwer News Service in an interview Friday. “I’m not coming in and kicking over the apple cart, and I certainly hope to build on some of the stuff that AG Nessel has done.”

The Democrat-to-Democrat transition is sure to be different from the flip in 2019, when Nessel took office after 16 years of Republicans holding the office. During her first year in office, Nessel withdrew from 28 federal cases, including lawsuits siding with conservatives on healthcare, LGBTQ rights and abortion, the Michigan Advance reported).

Of course, every new boss brings a new perspective and wants to build their own legacy. Savit sees consumer protection as one area where there’s “both a need and an opportunity to build out more,” he said. Savit also intends to follow through with a campaign-trail promise to build a dedicated workers’ rights unit in the Department of Attorney General, he said.

Nessel called Savit immediately on Election Day after his race was called, Savit said, and “the very next day, she was my first call.” She had been “appropriately a little bit hands off during the campaign cycle,” but they’ve had in-depth conversations since the election about the department and staffing, he said.

“She’s been incredible to work with so far on this transition, and I think we both want – as does the state of Michigan – a smooth transition where nothing’s skipping a beat,” Savit said.

As he moves into the department overseeing a staff of about 600 in January, Savit and his team will decide whether to stay the course or shift tactics on some of his office’s highest-profile cases.

Savit declined to comment on specific cases Friday because he’s still in the transition process.

Here are eight big issues that will soon be on his plate:

Trump Administration Challenges

Nessel has filed dozens of lawsuits against the federal government during Trump’s second term, challenging a host of federal policies on healthcare, food assistance, housing, the environment, and more. Savit is expected to use his new perch to continue fighting the Trump team in court.

Savit described his approach to lawsuits challenging the federal government as one that “isn’t political.”

If “this president or any other – including the president of my own party – violates the law and harms Michiganders, I think it’s our obligation to litigate against that action,” Savit said. “And I’ll do that against the Trump administration, but I’ll also do it if a Democratic president is elected in 2028 and they do something that’s unlawful that harms the people of the state of Michigan.”

Savit sees voting rights as an area that needs “to be addressed in the lead up to the 2028 presidential election.” When the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump’s effort  to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections, “We dodged a bullet,” Savit said. “I hope that everything is smooth sailing and there’s no need for any litigation or legal challenges. But it’s certainly something that I’m keeping an eye on.”

The Line 5 Fight

The long-running litigation over the proposed Enbridge pipeline emerged as a sticking point during Savit’s campaign against his Republican opponent, Doug Lloyd.

Savit said in September that his “North Star” in the case would be protecting the Straits of Mackinac and 90% of the nation’s freshwater supply.

The U.S. Supreme Court in April sided with Nessel, who argued that the legal fight over the Line 5 pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac belonged in state court, not federal. That litigation is ongoing.

Antitrust Case Against Oil Companies

A federal judge in September dismissed an antitrust lawsuit brought by Nessel alleging that major oil and gas companies conspired to restrain meaningful competition from renewable energy to maintain their dominance in Michigan and nationally.

The ruling in that case, Michigan v. B.P. et. al., could be appealed. A spokesperson for Nessel said in September that she disagreed with the ruling and was exploring additional options.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Lawsuit

As one of her last big moves in office, Nessel announced a blockbuster federal antitrust lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, alleging an illegal health insurance monopoly.

That litigation, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in October, will soon fall to Savit and his team.

PFAS Lawsuits

Nessel has made litigation over PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” a centerpiece of her tenure in office. That included settlements with Wolverine Worldwide and Asahi Kasei Plastics North America.

Savit is set to inherit the department’s pending lawsuits, which include more than 20 more cases against PFAS manufacturers, according to the department’s website.

The Prop 2 Fight

Lawsuits against a new campaign finance ballot proposal dropped soon after voters had approved the measure on Election Day. That will put Savit in charge of defending Proposal 2, which bans public utilities and some government contractors from contributing to political campaigns. The measure also imposes new rules for political communications.

The Lee Chatfield Saga

Savit will take over Nessel’s ongoing prosecution of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, after Nessel charged Chatfield with 13 felonies in April 2024.

Chatfield’s trial was delayed indefinitely in September after his attorney appealed the status of an expert witness in the case.

Google Data Center Challenge

Nessel in October filed a petition challenging the Public Service Commission’s approval of DTE’s contracts to service a Google hyperscale data center near Detroit. Her office argued that the commission failed to ensure that ratepayers would be sufficiently protected under the contracts.

Savit told WDET ahead of the election that he wanted to “protect residential ratepayers from rising electricity costs, uphold our environmental standards and use the legal resources of the attorney general’s office to balance the scales when major corporations try to bully local communities.”

As AG, Savit said, “I’ll hold data centers accountable to the fullest extent I can.”

Gov.-elect Jocelyn Benson said property tax reform should be a topic of discussion on the table under total Democratic control of Lansing next year.

During brief remarks to reporters Thursday inside the Senate chamber, Benson stressed the need to lower the cost of living for Michigan residents, saying lowering taxes and reforming the state’s school funding model should be up for conversation next session.

“I’ll say it’s one the table, I think in two ways,” Benson said when asked about the status of property tax reform under the Democratic trifecta that begins in January.

Her comments came after she met with Senate Democrats in caucus while they elected Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, as their next Senate majority leader (see separate story).

“One, reforming our school funding model will help us potentially support reduction in property taxes in local communities,” Benson said. “But secondly, we want to reduce costs for the people of Michigan, and that involves reducing taxes, and noting that property tax in particular is stopping people from being able to afford to live in their communities, so it’s on the table for us to discuss.”

Benson said under her administration she plans to have a top-to-bottom review of the state’s revenue generation to see how revenue can be generated equitably while making spending efficient.

The governor-elect said she also told Senate Democrats she intends to be collaborative with the Legislature to ensure the party’s agenda can see significant movement.

Efforts to implement literacy reforms are moving along at a positive clip, Department of Education officials told the State Board of Education in a Tuesday update detailing grant disbursements, professional development enrollment, and progress towards full implementation of Michigan’s landmark literacy and dyslexia law.

Officials pinpointed where the state stands as it approaches the two-year mark from the signing of PA 146 and 147 of 2024, which put into place a broad set of changes aimed at tackling sluggish reading achievement among Michigan students. Deputy State Superintendent Delsa Chapman said although the process has been lengthy to implement the laws, the timeline of tasks to complete is one deliberately created to ensure the law actually works as legislators intended.

“Each statutory milestone, such as selecting assessments, establishing a committee for literacy achievement, and adopting evidence-based instructional materials, builds a foundation for consistent literacy practice statewide. What you see here is not a series of disconnected tasks; it is the architecture of a comprehensive system,” Chapman told board members. “By aligning curriculum, assessments, interventions, and professional learning over several years, we’re creating a stable structure that will support educators and improve literacy outcomes well beyond the initial implementation phase.”

MDE’s Committee for Literacy Achievement began the process of reviewing and recommending assessments and curricula options for districts to use in literacy instruction earlier this year and is “deeply engaged” in that process now, MDE Office of Curriculum and Instruction Director Jen Saylor said, with an update expected in December.

“These reviews are essential because they ensure that districts have access to valid and reliable screening and progress monitoring assessments and evidence-based tier one elementary reading curricula that meet statutory requirements,” she said. “The updates coming in December will provide clarity and choice for districts as they refine their literacy systems. This is a critical step in ensuring that all students are screened effectively, receive timely interventions, and experience high-quality literacy instruction from the very start.”

Michigan’s newly-passed law, PA 26 of 2026, requiring training in science of reading professional learning, a tacit mandate of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS, training for kindergarten through fifth grade teachers and administrators, is also in the implementation phase.

Office of Curriculum and Instruction Literacy Unit Manager DeNesha Rawls Smith said between August and September, literacy providers submitted items to MDE for review during a two-week window.

“Thirteen literacy providers submitted items for review. One submission scored 93%. A consensus review of documents for submissions were shared with MDE leadership for next steps. The review team critically evaluated K-5 professional learning submissions. The evaluations conducted used a two-phase rubric aligned to Public Act 26 requirements, scoring focused on alignment with the science of reading principles and statutory expectations,” Rawls Smith said. “Reviewers completed their independent scoring prior to consensus meetings, then they formed triads and came together for the final scores and they established the final results. Results were shared with MDE senior leadership, with final approval by the superintendent of public instruction. This review process will occur annually.”

The professional learning submission that scored a 93% on the review and was ultimately chosen was, as lawmakers intended, the LETRS training that’s already been funded by the state. A $75 million allocation within the state school aid budget this year aims to fully fund LETRS training for Michigan educators, which Rawls Smith said has contributed to a sizable increase in the number of teachers enrolled in the training.

“As of today, we’ve had a huge increase in these numbers. We, of course, have over 8,000 LETRS graduates, but right now, from October to November, we saw a 2,200-person increase. The 4,371 active participants has increased to over 6,000 active participants in LETRS instruction, and this is amazing,” she said. “It shows us that our educators, our leaders, are invested in learning how to teach reading in the proper way, and so we’re very excited about that.”

School districts will soon be applying for grant funding to support literacy programs, some of which began in the prior year and saw increases in the latest state budget cycle.

“We’ve had over 500 grantees receive full funding to support literacy from fiscal year 2026 … this grant began in fiscal year 2025,” Rawls Smith said. “Funding categories included Tier One curriculum resources, assessments and professional learning. The fiscal year 2027 application will open this December.”

The groups that put Michigan’s campaign finance proposal on the ballot are pivoting to a new battle front as they try to defend the measure in court.

Organizations behind the Proposal 2 ballot measure, which seeks to toughen campaign finance regulations, asked a federal court Monday for permission to intervene in two pending lawsuits filed by utilities and a public policy group that promotes limited government.

The two lawsuits, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, allege the ballot measure is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment. Supporters of the proposal, which passed with more than 80% of the vote, say they’re confident the measure will hold up against legal scrutiny. Legal observers predict the legal battle could be a lengthy one.

“We are fully confident in the legality of Proposal 2 and look forward to seeing this out in court,” Samuel Bagenstos, a lawyer representing the organizations behind the proposal, said Monday in a statement. “The language of Proposal 2 was carefully crafted with constitutionality in mind, and we are well prepared for this expected legal challenge. We intend to vigorously defend the will of Michiganders who overwhelmingly approved this measure just one week ago.”

The groups seeking to intervene in the lawsuit are Michiganders for Money out of Politics, Clean Water Action, and Voters Not Politicians. The groups were central in getting the measure passed and now want to help see it through in court, they wrote.

Rep.-elect Joanna Whaley, D-Lincoln Park, joined the groups asking to intervene. Her anticipated reelection campaign in 2028 will be harmed without Proposal 2 in place, she told the court.

The groups offered a preview of their legal arguments in filings with the court.

In response to the lawsuit filed by Consumers Energy and DTE, the groups supporting Proposal 2 addressed the utilities’ argument that the proposal would unconstitutionally limit the speech of utility companies and their affiliates.

“It only bars their contributions to candidates for offices that regulate them,” the proposal’s backers wrote. “The people of Michigan voted to adopt this provision in the wake of numerous scandals regarding utility-company campaign contributions to the state officials who regulate them, both in Michigan and in other states.”

In response to a lawsuit filed by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the groups supporting Proposal 2 said new disclosure requirements would help voters by boosting transparency of political contributions.

The Mackinac Center argued in its lawsuit that the proposal is “an alarming and far-reaching law” that violates the First Amendment and “targets everyone who spends money speaking about public policy if they talk about an elected official at the wrong time or with the wrong words.”

The organizers of the ballot measure told the court in their filing that the “Supreme Court has repeatedly endorsed disclosure as a remedy for the pathologies of massive campaign spending.”

Notably, the proposal’s supporters argued that the state defendants in the case may not adequately represent their interests.

The state might “concede the invalidity of certain applications of Proposal 2 or agree to narrowing constructions to it, or even to enter into a settlement of the case,” the groups wrote.

Utility PAC Contributions

The political action committees representing employees of DTE and Consumers contributed more than $130,000 to state candidates in the third quarter campaign finance filing period, according to an analysis by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. That brought the grand total for the year to about $395,000, MLCV found.

Some of those candidates who accepted donations from the utility PACs lost their elections, including Sen. Mark Huizenga and Republican Reps. Rylee Linting of Wyandotte, Jamie Thompson of Brownstown, Steve Frisbie of Battle Creek, Kathy Schmaltz of Jackson, and Nancy DeBoer of Holland.

“Cash from DTE and Consumers was a massive liability in this past election and Michiganders of every partisan stripe roundly rejected their money polluting our politics when they passed Proposal 2 with a commanding 81% – sending a clear message that people want their government back,” said Bob Allison, deputy director of MLCV.

In Michigan, 126 state-level candidates on ballots in November had signed onto the conservation group’s pledge to refuse contributions from energy utilities, their executives and their employee PACs, according to the group. Of those candidates, 58 won their elections, said MLCV spokesperson Alex Kellogg.

A DTE spokesperson said Tuesday in a statement that “Michiganders are frustrated by money in politics, especially when it comes from out-of-state groups with little transparency. We understand and share the goal of putting Michiganders first.”

Prop 2 “doesn’t do that,” the spokesperson said. “Instead, it potentially violates the First Amendment rights of 10,000 DTE employees and their families simply because of where they work or who they are related to. That sets a dangerous precedent.”

As it relates to the lawsuit over Proposal 2, “Consumers Energy will continue to advocate that Michiganders should not lose their First Amendment rights just because of where they work,” said Katie Carey, a Consumers spokesperson. “This proposal unfairly targets Michigan employees from all facets of our business from their constitutionally protected rights to participate in the political process. We suspected advocates of the ballot proposal and the billionaires who support it to continue fighting through the legal process in order for out of state shell companies, independent expenditure groups and Super PACs to continue disproportionate influence.”

The members of the Legislature from Detroit have named their new executive board, including incumbents and freshmen members.

The executive board features an all-female membership with Rep. Stephanie Young as the caucus chair and Rep. Tonya Myers-Phillips as caucus vice chair. Two incoming members will fill the other roles on the board with Rep.-elect Candace Calloway as the secretary and Rep.-elect Kimberly Fisher as the treasurer. The caucus’ members are all Democrats.

Young said this is a pivotal time for the city of Detroit, which needs strong and courageous leadership in the Legislature.

“We are experiencing the dangerous policies from the White House through cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and exorbitant grocery and gasoline prices,” Young said in a statement. “Many residents don’t know how they will afford their medicine and where their next meal will come from. My colleagues and I are laser focused on policies to reverse these devastating decisions and usher in a better Detroit for all of us. I am especially grateful for the team of Detroiters assembled to lead the Detroit Caucus and value our collective voice for positive change over the next two years.”

Young was leader of the caucus in the previous Legislature as well.

Myers-Phillips said the caucus will be working collaboratively on policy “to lower costs, invest in our neighborhoods, and create greater opportunities for the next generation of Detroiters and Michiganders.”