[JURIST] A resident of Flint, Michigan on Wednesday announced that she filed a lawsuit asking a single-person grand jury to investigate whether Governor Rick Snyder [official profile] committed misconduct by using public funds to finance his legal defense. Reports have shown that he approved $2 million [ABC news report] in taxpayer money to pay for private criminal defense attorneys to combat criminal allegations concerning his involvement in the Flint water crisis. Snyder’s office maintains [Detroit News report] the use of public funds is permissible because he faces legal challenges in his official capacity as governor. The resident, Keri Webb, expressed disdain with the fact that the governor used taxpayer money while residents are still without clean water.

Water contamination has been a major concern over the last year. Last month the US Senate approved legislation [JURIST report] amending the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide $100 million in emergency funding to repair pipes in cities suffering from lead contamination, such as Flint, Michigan. In May, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced [JURIST report] the filing of a lawsuit against Michigan officials over the Flint water contamination crisis. In April, David Leyton, a prosecutor in Genesee County, Michigan, announced [JURIST report] that a Michigan judge will allow criminal charges against three people involved in the water crisis in Flint, including the man who supervised the treatment plan as well as two state environmental officials. In March Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan was served with a class action lawsuit [JURIST report] over the water contamination in Flint, Michigan.