MARSHALL, MI (WTVB) – A Marshall-based citizens group that has voiced strong opposition to Ford’s BlueOval Battery Park says a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling that went against them this week was “a stunning blow to Marshall city voters”.
After a hearing was conducted on June 6, the judges backed Calhoun County Judge William Marietti’s ruling that the opposition group “Committee for Marshall – Not the Megasite” did not take correct legal steps when they challenged the rezoning.
The citizens group filed suit last year after their petition to force a community vote on the rezoning of 700 acres of land between 13 and 15 Mile Roads for the electric vehicle battery factory was ruled insufficient.
A news release that was posted Friday on the Facebook page for “The Committee for Marshall—Not the Megasite”, stated they disagreed with the Court’s conclusion and believes it is counter to several court precedents, which were not cited by the three-judge panel.
The Committee said they “had argued, based on those previous court decisions, that clerks can not make legal decisions on the contents or substance of the petition (which in this case was the ordinance text), but only on the form of the petition.”
The ruling was not a total loss for the citizens group as the Court dismissed the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Michigan Strategic Fund’s cross-appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
The Committee says they have 42 days from the date of the decision to seek leave to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court. The Committee is taking it under consideration with its legal team.
Some observers had earlier expected the legal battles to go all the way to the Michigan Supreme Court.
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