Gov. Rick Snyder last week asked the Michigan Supreme Court to rule on a lawsuit that targets the state's controversial emergency-management law.
Critics of the law said the move was an attempt to bypass the judicial system.
A challenge to the new law, which significantly broadens the state's power to intervene in and rule over fiscally challenged local governments, is pending in Ingham County Circuit Court.
The suit argues that the new law usurps home rule by replacing elected officials with state-appointed emergency managers. It was filed by the Detroit-based Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice.
Snyder last week signed an order asking the state's high court to take control of the case.
"Time is of the essence to ensure the continued financial stability of communities in financial emergency," Snyder spokeswoman Geralyn Lasher was quoted as saying in local reports.
Snyder has also asked the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of a new tax on retirement income. The proposal, crafted by Snyder to help balance the upcoming 2012 budget, is also the target of lawsuits. The court will hear oral arguments on that case Sept. 7.
