Detroit’s Orr Spars With Judge Over ‘Sacrosanct’ Remarks

Detroit’s emergency manager concluded his testimony in a federal court by defending his decision to put the city into bankruptcy instead of trying to persuade unions to negotiate cuts to pensions and other benefits.

Kevyn Orr denied that he was trying to “mislead anyone” at a public meeting in June when he told a retiree that municipal pensions were “sacrosanct” under Michigan law. Orr has since argued that federal bankruptcy law allows him to cut pensions even though a clause in the state constitution bars such reductions.