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prosecutors, investigators and analysts in this 
unit has resulted in criminal charges, convic-
tions and court supervision of some offenders.
Carolyn Normandin, regional director, 
Michigan ADL, says that it’s “really important 
to have someone who understands 
that hate crimes are message crimes 
— they bring absolute terror to 
their targets.
” 
 She says that the Hate Crimes 
and Domestic Terrorism Unit has 
prosecuted hate crimes and put 
people behind bars, sometimes 
with higher penalties because they are message 
crimes. Normandin says that The Base — a 
neo-Nazi group — has become less active in 
Michigan because of law enforcement. 
 Earlier this month, a jury convicted Nathan 
Weeden, 23, of Houghton — an active mem-
ber of The Base — under a civil rights statute. 
Weeden spray-painted swastikas and symbols 
associated with The Base on the outside walls of 
Temple Jacob in Hancock, Mich., on Sept. 21, 
2019.
“She brings a special level of understanding to 
her work. Her office has been targeted and she 
has become a statistic. She is a very strong per-
son,
” Normandin says.

PROTECTING CONSUMERS
Nessel explains that the Attorney General’s 
office handles more than criminal cases — 
citing consumer protection to prevent corpora-
tions, including utilities, from taking advantage 
of citizens, and environmental issues as especial-
ly important. 

“I’m very proud of the opioid settlement, 
which resulted in $1.54 billion for Michigan,
” 
she says. Half of the settlement will be allocat-
ed over 18 years to the state for medications 
to prevent overdoses and addiction treatment, 
and the remainder to Michigan counties, cities 
and municipalities in which excessive amounts 
of addictive pills were distributed, resulting in 
many thousands of overdoses and deaths.
Nessel organized a Retail Crime Unit to coun-
teract the $1 billion in retail losses that occur 
annually in Michigan, due in part to organized 
crime syndicates. Recently, Nessel joined with 
local law enforcement officials from multiple 
Michigan counties to announce the identifica-
tion of a Chilean retail crime ring that has tar-
geted Michigan stores. 
Public integrity is another important concern. 
Her office has charged former state legislators 
and legislative staff members with financial 
wrongdoing. The state legislature has passed 
laws to promote greater financial transparency 
on the part of government agencies and elect-
ed officials — an area in which Michigan has 
lagged many other states. 
“It’s a small beginning — a foundation for 
what is needed in terms of campaign finance 
and lobbying laws. I hope that Lansing will be 
less corrupt,
” she says.
Soon after taking office, Nessel announced 
that allegations of clergy sexual abuse of minors 
would continue to be investigated and some 
cases reopened when allegations were within the 
statutory time limits or involved currently serv-
ing clergy. “There has been more cooperation 
from the Catholic Church. Some dioceses have 

From West 
Bloomfield 
to Lansing: 
Nessel’s Path

Dana Nessel was raised in 
West Bloomfield where she 
attended public school and 
played high school soccer. She 
had a bat mitzvah at Temple 
Kol Ami where she was a 
member for many years. 
Nessel received a bache-
lor’s degree in political sci-
ence from the University of 
Michigan and a law degree 
from Wayne State University. 
She served as an assistant 
prosecutor in Wayne County 
for 11 years and then opened 
her own law firm — Nessel 
and Kessel Law — in 2005. 
Nessel has received awards 
from the Michigan State Bar 
Association, the Michigan 
League of Conservation 
Voters, the Michigan Sierra 
Club and the State Bar of 
Michigan’s Consumer Law 
Section. 

During her work on the 
DeBoer vs Snyder same-sex 
marriage case, Nessel met 
and married Alanna Maguire. 
Nessel and Maguire have twin 
sons who are Michigan State 
University students; the family 
lives in Southeastern Michigan. 
After the shootings at 
Michigan State University last 
year, Attorney General Dana 
Nessel issued the following 
statement: “As a parent, there 
is no greater fear than having 
your child tell you there is an 
active shooter at their school. 
I experienced this terror along 
with thousands of other MSU 
families last night. While my 
Spartan sons are safe, I am 
mourning the devastating loss 
and senseless violence … I 
am hopeful that the investi-
gation reveals how we can 
better protect our children, our 
neighbors and all those who 
call Michigan home.” 

Carloyn 
Normandin

Gov. Whitmer, President 
Obama, Secretary Benson, 
Lt. Gov. Gilchrist, and AG 
Nessel on stage at rally

