Testimony by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and other state officials on Detroit’s eligibility for bankruptcy is not relevant and involves privileged information, the Attorney General’s Office said in a document filed late today in advance of today’s hearing on the matter, the Detroit Free Press reported today. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes will oversee a hearing at 10 a.m. today that could be politically charged with the question of whether unions have the right to depose the state’s governor and others prior to the Oct. 23 hearing on whether the city is eligible for bankruptcy protection. Lawyers for the Michigan Council 25 of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees as well as the UAW say that they must be able to take discoveries of key officials, under oath, to cover all the issues of their objections to the city’s eligibility for chapter 9. Depositions were also sought for top Snyder adviser Richard Baird, Auditor General Thomas McTavish and Frederick Headen, legal adviser for the Michigan Department of Treasury. The unions also seek additional documents from the state.
