Judge Slams Prosecutors, Dismisses Genital Mutilation Charges

DETROIT (AP) — A judge has dismissed a new batch of charges in the government’s investigation of genital mutilation against girls in a Muslim sect. The judge says prosecutors in Detroit were being vindictive after major courtroom losses. It’s another blow for the government, which broke new ground in 2017 when it charged a Detroit-area doctor with performing genital mutilation at a suburban clinic. The law was later declared unconstitutional by Detroit federal Judge Bernard Friedman. He said genital mutilation was a matter for states, not Congress. This time the judge dismissed conspiracy and other charges against four people, including two doctors.