Photo courtesy of MSU Law
By Chuck Carlson
MSU Law
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s message to her audience at the Michigan State College of Law Wednesday was simple but powerful: “When you believe in something, keep fighting and use your (state) bar card to do it.”
Nessel, in her second term as Michigan’s attorney general, held a “Social Justice Conversation” before an audience of more than 50 students in the MSU Moot Courtroom. During the 45-minute Q&A session, law students asked questions ranging from LGBTQ and transgender rights to federal overreach to crime and police responsibility.
She spoke with particular passion about the numerous issues the state dealt with after the 2020 Presidential election, ranging from alleged voter fraud to absentee ballot confusion to ongoing legal battles from supporters of former President Donald Trump.
“We were preserving democracy for the United State of America and I’m really proud of the work we did,” she said.
She also took time to talk about the often frustrating lack of progress on the issue of transgender and non-binary Americans.
“The pushback continues and it seems to get worse and worse,” she said, speaking in particular of states that threaten librarians with jail sentences for carrying LGBTQ books.
“It’s one of the lowest forms of political attack I can imagine,” she said. “LGBTQ people are victims, not predators. They are your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues, not the bad guys.”
When asked about what she believes her greatest success has been as attorney general, she smiled.
“To me it’s trying to keep as many promises as I made,” she said. “I made a lot of promises.”
Nessel concluded with her overarching message that fighting for the law is what matters most.
“You’re never going to win a case you don’t file,” she said. “Keep fighting day after day. You guys have that power. Pass the bar exam and work as hard as you can.”
It was a message that resonated with Tony Li, ‘23, a Chicago native who hopes to work in child and family advocacy law.
“It was her message that if something is worth fighting for, pursue it,” he said. “In the field I’m looking at, I think that’s going to be very important.”
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