DN
Biography
Dana Michelle Nessel[1] (born April 19, 1969) is an American politician and lawyer, serving as the 54th Attorney General of Michigan since January 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Nessel is the second openly lesbian woman elected attorney general of a state in the United States (after Maura Healey), and the first openly LGBT person elected to statewide office in Michigan. She is also the first Jewish person elected Attorney General of Michigan.[2]
In 2014, Nessel successfully argued for the plaintiffs in DeBoer v. Snyder, which challenged Michigan's ban on the statewide legal recognition of same-sex marriage;[3] the case was eventually combined with others and appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States as Obergefell v. Hodges, which led to the nationwide legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Nessel was born in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, the daughter of Martin and Sandra Nessel.[4][5] She is Jewish.[2] She was raised in West Bloomfield and graduated from West Bloomfield High School in 1987, where she played soccer and was named All-State.[4][6]
Nessel received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science from the University of Michigan in 1990[5][7] and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in 1994.[4] While in college, she also performed standup comedy for several years.[5] While in law school, she was an intern in the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.[8]
Education
- 3 Michigan Attorney General (2019–present) Toggle Michigan Attorney General (2019–present) subsection 3.1 Hate Crimes Unit 3.2 Conviction Integrity Unit 3.3 Consumer Protection Division 3.4 Elder Abuse Task Force 3.5 Michigan state COVID-19 pandemic policy 3.6 Robocall crackdown effort 3.7 Twitter death threat 3.8 High-profile cases and investigations 3.8.1 Catholic Church investigation 3.8.2 Michigan State University investigation 3.8.3 Enbridge Line 5 lawsuits 3.8.4 PFAS contamination lawsuit 3.8.5 Flint Water Crisis investigation 3.8.5.1 Campaign 3.8.5.2 Dismissal of charges 3.8.6 Opioid manufacturers lawsuit 3.8.7 St. Vincent adoption agency lawsuit 3.8.8 Affordable Care Act lawsuit 3.8.9 Trump fake electors plot 3.8.10 University of Michigan student protests 3.8.11 Subpoenas of Pro-Palestinian Activists 3.8 High-profile cases and investigations 3.8.1 Catholic Church investigation 3.8.2 Michigan State University investigation 3.8.3 Enbridge Line 5 lawsuits 3.8.4 PFAS contamination lawsuit 3.8.5 Flint Water Crisis investigation 3.8.5.1 Campaign 3.8.5.2 Dismissal of charges 3.8.6 Opioid manufacturers lawsuit 3.8.7 St. Vincent adoption agency lawsuit 3.8.8 Affordable Care Act lawsuit 3.8.9 Trump fake electors plot 3.8.10 University of Michigan student protests 3.8.11 Subpoenas of Pro-Palestinian Activists 3.8.2 Michigan State University investigation 3.8.10 University of Michigan student protests