LANSING, MI — A Michigan Court of Appeals panel has ruled that Benton Harbor residents may continue a lawsuit against state agencies over contaminated drinking water. The lawsuit alleges state officials under Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer violated Benton Harbor residents’ constitutional right to bodily integrity by allowing people to continue drinking lead-contaminated water while publicly downplaying the danger. Lead began exceeding allowable levels in Benton Harbor, a majority Black city of 9,800 with high poverty in southwest Michigan, in 2018. In federal court, residents are pursuing a separate class action that is headed toward a proposed settlement with the city.