You’ve got to hand it to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel—if there were an Olympic sport for political backflips, she’d be standing on the podium in a gold tracksuit, holding up a “Free Palestine” sign while simultaneously insisting she’s just doing her job.
On Monday, Nessel abruptly dropped all charges against seven University of Michigan students who were facing both misdemeanor trespassing and felony resisting-arrest charges stemming from last year’s anti-Israel protest on campus. That’s right—felony. As in, up to two years behind bars. Gone. Poof. Vanished like common sense in a faculty lounge.
The courtroom, predictably packed with the usual chorus of anti-Israel activists, broke out into cheers and chants like it was some kind of victory for civil rights. And while the students celebrated like they just ended apartheid, the rest of us were left wondering how exactly a felony charge went from “slam dunk” to “never mind” in a matter of weeks. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t because the evidence disappeared—it’s because political pressure showed up.
Nessel, who was originally gung-ho on pursuing charges, suddenly got queasy after she was accused of being biased against Muslims. That’s rich, considering the protesters were the ones physically obstructing police and trespassing on public property, not peacefully passing out leaflets. But after receiving a letter from the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor—supporting her, mind you—Nessel decided that was the problem. According to her, the public support from a nonprofit somehow created an “impropriety” so massive, she had no choice but to drop all charges. No, seriously. That was her reasoning. Not the facts of the case. Not new evidence. A letter. From a group defending her.
So in the face of political discomfort, Nessel folded like a lawn chair at a DEI retreat. And her reward? Getting mocked to her face by one of the defendants, who called her a coward and labeled law enforcement “bullies and badges.” Congratulations, Madam Attorney General—you’ve managed to make the cops look like the bad guys and taught college radicals that all you have to do is scream loud enough and the laws don’t apply to you.
In a major reversal, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office moved to dismiss felony charges against seven pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan Monday.https://t.co/qxwChvtVjt
— Michigan Public (@michigan_public) May 6, 2025
Now, contrast that with Nessel’s behavior just a few years back during the lockdowns. Small business owners like Marlena Hackney and Karl Manke—regular Americans trying to survive while Governor Whitmer turned Michigan into a biosecurity state—were dragged through the legal mud for defying lockdowns that were later ruled unconstitutional. Hackney was strip-searched and jailed for keeping her restaurant open. Manke got fined because he had a comb in his pocket during an interview. And the attorney general’s office allegedly moved to arrest Hackney specifically to stop her from appearing on Tucker Carlson Tonight. Not exactly subtle.
WATCH: In 2020, Marlena Hackney, a restaurant owner in Holland, MI, violated governor Whitmer’s lockdown order after it was struck down in court. Internal emails from Attorney General Dana Nessel and her office insinuate Nessel ordered Hackney’s arrest to prevent her from… pic.twitter.com/GBNVhuG0ha
— Michigan House Republicans (@MI_Republicans) April 25, 2025
But here we are in 2025, and apparently if you’re a barber or a pizzeria owner trying to feed your family, you get fines and felony charges. If you’re a college activist trespassing on university property and interfering with police, you get applause, amnesty, and a megaphone.
This isn’t justice—it’s performance art. And Nessel’s office is beginning to look more like a political theater troupe than a law enforcement agency. When the rules bend depending on the ideology of the person breaking them, that’s not progressive governance. That’s a banana republic with better branding.
Meanwhile, State Rep. Angela Rigas and the House Oversight Subcommittee are finally putting a spotlight on how Nessel used her office like a political weapon during the pandemic. The testimony from Hackney and Manke was damning, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the real “danger to democracy” wasn’t in Owosso—it was sitting behind a government desk in Lansing.
And let’s not forget, these aren’t isolated incidents. This is part of a pattern: punish the dissenters who don’t fit the narrative, protect the activists who do. Political expediency masquerading as public service. The message is loud and clear: break the law the “right” way, and you’ll be fine. Break it for the wrong reasons, and they’ll throw the book at you—if they don’t cancel you first.
So sure, the anti-Israel crowd might be celebrating today. But the real story here is about a justice system being warped by identity politics, PR panic, and cowardice in high office. And while the protesters get their pat on the back, the average Michigander is left asking one question: Who’s protecting us from the people in charge?
