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In May of 2024, pro-Palestine activists at the University of Michigan \u2014 each charged with trespassing and resisting or obstructing the police \u2014 were initially spared legal consequences when the Washtenaw County prosecutor, Eli Savit, dismissed<\/a> charges against them. Four months later, on Sept. 12th, Dana Nessel, Michigan Attorney General, decided<\/a> to take up the cases, a clear break from the norm. On May 5th, Nessel\u2019s office dropped<\/a> the charges of seven pro-Palestine protesters arrested at the Diag last year. Fifteen days later, charges against three protesters that participated in the Festifall \u201cDie-In\u201d were also dropped.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although it took Nessel a significant amount of time to drop the charges, this Editorial Board not only views the dismissal of these charges as a win for the University\u2019s pro-Palestine movement, but also as a broad victory for freedom of expression.<\/p>\n While the attorney general\u2019s office provided reasons<\/a> behind the decision to drop the charges, we are not wholly convinced. Nessel cited frustrations with the slow pace of the trial and a letter from the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor<\/a>, but the impact of political pressure cannot be overlooked. For months, protesters from across the state called on the attorney general to drop the charges. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mi, was among the first elected officials to call out<\/a> the cases for what they were: a blatant attack on students\u2019 right to protest. In the months leading up to the arrests, efforts by the University to silence protesters \u2014 through the amending<\/a> of the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities and the firing<\/a> of pro-Palestine faculty \u2014 created a trend of assaults on students\u2019 rights. The groundswell of support for the activists and the pushback against Nessel must also be credited for contributing to the decision to drop the charges.\u00a0<\/p>\n As students of a university that prides itself on its history<\/a> of activism and democratic values, we are glad Nessel dropped the charges. The cases themselves were a reach from the start: The First Amendment complications<\/a> of prosecuting students who protest on public property \u2014 such as what qualifies as protected speech, or where students were allowed to protest \u2014, coupled with Nessel\u2019s connection<\/a> to the University\u2019s Board of Regents underscored the conflicted context of these cases.<\/p>\n