Michigan Supreme Court

Michigan Supreme Court
Court Information
Justices: 7
Founded: 1805
Location: Lansing
Salary
Associates: $181,483
Judicial Selection
Method: Michigan method
Term: 8 years
Active justices
Brian Zahra David Viviano Elizabeth Clement Elizabeth Welch Kyra Harris Bolden Megan Cavanagh Richard Bernstein

Founded in 1805, the Michigan Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Elizabeth Clement.

As of January 2023, three judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor, one judge was appointed by a Democratic governor, and three judges were initially selected in a nonpartisan election.

The court meets in the Michigan Hall of Justice in Lansing, Michigan.

In Michigan, state supreme court justices are selected through the Michigan method. Justices are elected through nonpartisan elections. The candidates in the nonpartisan selection are chosen through partisan primaries or conventions. This is the only state using this selection method. To read more about this type of election method, click here.

Jurisdiction

Most cases involve review of Michigan Court of Appeals decisions, but the court also hears judicial misconduct cases, as well as some cases of original jurisdiction such as is the case in a bypass appeal. The court has broad superintending control power over all the state courts in Michigan.

Justices

The table below lists the current judges of the Michigan Supreme Court, their political party, and when they assumed office.

Office	Name	Party	Date assumed office
Michigan Supreme Court	Richard Bernstein	Democratic	January 1, 2015
Michigan Supreme Court	Megan Cavanagh	Democratic	January 1, 2019
Michigan Supreme Court	Elizabeth Clement	Republican	2017
Michigan Supreme Court	Kyra Harris Bolden	Democratic	January 1, 2023
Michigan Supreme Court	David Viviano	Republican	2013
Michigan Supreme Court	Elizabeth Welch	Democratic	January 1, 2021
Michigan Supreme Court	Brian Zahra	Republican	2011

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Michigan

The seven justices of the Michigan Supreme Court are chosen by the Michigan method in which a partisan nomination is followed by nonpartisan elections. Incumbent judges seeking re-election may file an affidavit of candidacy requesting to be placed on the ballot, while non-incumbent candidates must either file a nominating petition or obtain a partisan nomination at a party convention. Incumbency is noted on the ballot, though party affiliation is not. Judges serve eight-year terms and must be re-elected if they wish to remain on the court.

Qualifications

To be elected to the supreme court, a judge must:

• be a qualified elector;
• be licensed to practice law in the state;
• have at least five years of law practice experience;
• be under the age of 70.

Chief justice

The chief justice of the court is elected by his or her fellow justices and serves a two-year term

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a temporary replacement to serve until the next general election. At the governor's request, the state bar's standing committee on judicial qualifications interviews, evaluates, and rates all candidates, submitting a confidential report to the governor. However, the governor is not required to request candidates from the committee, nor is the governor bound by the committee's evaluations.

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

Elections

See also: Michigan Supreme Court elections

2024

See also: Michigan Supreme Court elections, 2024

The terms of two Michigan Supreme Court justices will expire on January 1, 2025. The two seats are up for nonpartisan election on November 5, 2024.

General election

The general election will occur on November 5, 2024.

General election for Michigan Supreme Court

Andrew Fink and Kimberly Thomas are running in the general election for Michigan Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Andrew Fink (Nonpartisan)
		Kimberly Thomas (Nonpartisan)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court

Kimberly Thomas advanced from the Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 24, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Kimberly Thomas (D)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court

Andrew Fink advanced from the Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 24, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Andrew Fink (R)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

The general election will occur on November 5, 2024.

Special general election for Michigan Supreme Court

Incumbent Kyra Harris Bolden and Patrick W. O'Grady are running in the special general election for Michigan Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Kyra Harris Bolden (Nonpartisan)
		Patrick W. O'Grady (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Democratic convention

Special Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court

Incumbent Kyra Harris Bolden advanced from the special Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 24, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Kyra Harris Bolden (D)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Republican convention

Special Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court

Patrick W. O'Grady advanced from the special Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 24, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Patrick W. O'Grady (R)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Judges not on the ballot

• David Viviano

2022

See also: Michigan Supreme Court elections, 2022

The terms of two Michigan Supreme Court justices expired on January 1, 2023. The two seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 8, 2022.

General election

General election for Michigan Supreme Court (2 seats)

Incumbent Richard Bernstein and incumbent Brian Zahra defeated Kyra Harris Bolden, Paul Hudson, and Kerry Lee Morgan in the general election for Michigan Supreme Court on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Bernstein (Nonpartisan)	33.9	2,120,661
✔		Brian Zahra (Nonpartisan)	23.9	1,493,317
		Kyra Harris Bolden (Nonpartisan)	21.9	1,368,652
		Paul Hudson (Nonpartisan)	13.3	834,436
		Kerry Lee Morgan (Nonpartisan)	7.0	438,595

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,255,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court (2 seats)

Incumbent Richard Bernstein and Kyra Harris Bolden advanced from the Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 21, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Richard Bernstein (D)
✔		Kyra Harris Bolden (D)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court (2 seats)

Incumbent Brian Zahra and Paul Hudson advanced from the Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 27, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Brian Zahra (R)
✔		Paul Hudson (R)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Michigan Supreme Court (2 seats)

Kerry Lee Morgan advanced from the Libertarian convention for Michigan Supreme Court on July 10, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Kerry Lee Morgan (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
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2020

See also: Michigan Supreme Court elections, 2020

The terms of two Michigan Supreme Court justices expired on January 1, 2021. The two seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2020.

General election

General election for Michigan Supreme Court (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Michigan Supreme Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bridget Mary McCormack (Nonpartisan)	32.3	2,377,410
✔		Elizabeth Welch (Nonpartisan)	20.2	1,490,550
		Mary Kelly (Nonpartisan)	17.0	1,252,692
		Brock Swartzle (Nonpartisan)	13.7	1,009,320
		Susan L. Hubbard (Nonpartisan)	8.3	611,019
		Kerry Lee Morgan (Nonpartisan)	4.6	340,396
		Katie Nepton (Nonpartisan)	3.9	290,377

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,371,764
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court (2 seats)

Incumbent Bridget Mary McCormack and Elizabeth Welch advanced from the Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 29, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Bridget Mary McCormack (D)
✔		Elizabeth Welch (D)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court (2 seats)

Mary Kelly and Brock Swartzle advanced from the Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 29, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Mary Kelly (R)
✔		Brock Swartzle (R)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Michigan Supreme Court (2 seats)

Kerry Lee Morgan and Katie Nepton advanced from the Libertarian convention for Michigan Supreme Court on July 18, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Kerry Lee Morgan (L)
✔		Katie Nepton (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Justices not on the ballot

• Stephen Markman

2018

See also: Michigan Supreme Court elections, 2018

The terms of two Michigan Supreme Court justices expired on January 1, 2019. Those justices stood for nonpartisan election by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the bench. The general election took place on November 6, 2018.

Candidates and results

Clement and Wilder's seats

General election candidates

• Elizabeth Clement  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
• Kurtis Wilder  (Incumbent) (Republican Party)
• Samuel Bagenstos  (Democratic Party)
• Megan Cavanagh  (Democratic Party) ✔
• Kerry Lee Morgan  (Libertarian Party)
• Doug Dern  (Natural Law Party)

Candidates

Main article: Michigan Supreme Court elections, 2016

Viviano's seat

■ David Viviano (Incumbent)
■ Frank S. Szymanski
■ Doug Dern

Larsen's seat

■ Joan Larsen (Incumbent)
■ Deborah Thomas
■ Kerry L. Morgan

Election results

November 8 general election

Incumbent David Viviano defeated Frank S. Szymanski and Doug Dern in the general election for the Michigan Supreme Court, Viviano's seat.

Michigan Supreme Court, Viviano's Seat, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	David Viviano Incumbent	67.23%	2,316,459
	Democratic	Frank S. Szymanski	23.01%	792,944
	Natural Law Party of Michigan	Doug Dern	9.76%	336,160
Total Votes (83 of 83 counties: 100%)				3,445,563
Source: Michigan Secretary of State Official Results

Incumbent Joan Larsen defeated Deborah Thomas and Kerry L. Morgan in the general election for the Michigan Supreme Court, Larsen's seat.

Michigan Supreme Court, Larsen's Seat, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Joan Larsen Incumbent	57.62%	1,940,260
	Democratic	Deborah Thomas	29.23%	984,107
	Libertarian	Kerry L. Morgan	13.15%	442,781
Total Votes (84 of 83 counties: 100%)				3,367,148
Source: Michigan Secretary of State Official Results

• Election history, 2008-2014 (click to expand)

  2014

  8-year term, candidates competed for 2 open seats

  Candidate	Incumbency	Primary Vote	Election Vote
  ZahraBrian ZahraA	Yes		32.2%   A
  MurphyWilliam B. Murphy	No		14.2%   D
  RedfordJames Robert Redford	No		20.1%   D
  DernDoug Dern	No		4%   D
  BernsteinRichard BernsteinA	No		28.9%   A

  2-year term

  Candidate	Incumbency	Primary Vote	Election Vote
  MorganKerry L. Morgan	No		9%   D
  VivianoDavid VivianoA	Yes		62.1%   A
  ThomasDeborah Thomas	No		28.9%   D

  2012

  Candidates competed for two seats. Candidate Incumbency Primary Vote Election Vote RoddisBob Roddis     No 2.79%   A McCormackBridget Mary McCormack   A No 23.59%   A O'BrienColleen O'Brien     No 21.42%   A KelleyConnie Marie Kelley     No 21.61%   A DernDoug Dern     No 3.38%   A MorganKerry L. Morgan     No 4.07%   A MarkmanStephen Markman   A Yes 23.1%   A Candidates competed for one seat. Candidate Incumbency Primary Vote Election Vote ZahraBrian Zahra   A Yes 49.54%   A BarryMindy Barry     No 8.73%   A JohnsonShelia Johnson     No 41.72%   A

  2010

  See also: 2010 State Supreme Court elections Incumbent Robert P. Young, Jr. defeated challenger Denise Langford-Morris Michigan Supreme Court 2010 General election results Candidates Votes Percent Robert P. Young, Jr. (R) n/a 56.62% Denise Langford-Morris (D) n/a n/a Incumbent Alton Davis was defeated by challenger Mary Beth Kelly. Michigan Supreme Court 2010 General election results Candidates Votes Percent Mary Beth Kelly (R) n/a 61.8% Alton Davis (D) n/a n/a

  2008
  See also: State Supreme Court elections, 2008 Incumbent Clifford W. Taylor was defeated by challenger Diane Hathaway. Michigan Supreme Court 2008 General election results Candidates Votes Percent Diane Hathaway (D) n/a 49.3% Clifford W. Taylor (R) n/a 39.4%

Caseloads

The table below details the number of cases filed with the court and the number of dispositions (decisions) the court reached in each year.

Michigan Supreme Court caseload data
Year	Filings	Dispositions
2021	1,403	1,464
2020	1,568	1,587
2019	1,757	1,794
2018	1,789	1,889
2017	1,818	1,883
2016	2,007	2,037
2015	2,067	1,982
2014	2,194	1,893
2013	1,884	1,789
2012	1,978	2,048
2011	1,924	1,976
2010	1,960	2,054
2009	2,224	2,240
2008	2,402	2,422
2007	2,612	2,625

Analysis

Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters (2021)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters, a study on how state supreme court justices decided the cases that came before them. Our goal was to determine which justices ruled together most often, which frequently dissented, and which courts featured the most unanimous or contentious decisions.

The study tracked the position taken by each state supreme court justice in every case they decided in 2020, then tallied the number of times the justices on the court ruled together. We identified the following types of justices:

• We considered two justices opinion partners if they frequently concurred or dissented together throughout the year.
• We considered justices a dissenting minority if they frequently opposed decisions together as a -1 minority.
• We considered a group of justices a determining majority if they frequently determined cases by a +1 majority throughout the year.
• We considered a justice a lone dissenter if he or she frequently dissented alone in cases throughout the year.

Summary of cases decided in 2020

• Number of justices: 7
• Number of cases: 25
• Percentage of cases with a unanimous ruling: 64.0%% (16)
• Justice most often writing the majority opinion: Justice Markman (5)
• Per curiam decisions: 3
• Concurring opinions: 10
• Justice with most concurring opinions: Justice Viviano (4)
• Dissenting opinions: 9
• Justice with most dissenting opinions: Justice Markman (3)

For the study's full set of findings in Michigan, click here.

Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship

Last updated: June 15, 2020

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.

The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation, based on a variety of factors. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on the political or ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. To arrive at confidence scores we analyzed each justice's past partisan activity by collecting data on campaign finance, past political positions, party registration history, as well as other factors. The five categories of Confidence Scores were:

• Strong Democrat
• Mild Democrat
• Indeterminate
• Mild Republican
• Strong Republican

We used the Confidence Scores of each justice to develop a Court Balance Score, which attempted to show the balance among justices with Democratic, Republican, and Indeterminate Confidence Scores on a court. Courts with higher positive Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Republican Confidence Scores, while courts with lower negative Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Democratic Confidence Scores. Courts closest to zero either had justices with conflicting partisanship or justices with Indeterminate Confidence Scores.

Michigan had a Court Balance Score of 3.71, indicating Republican control of the court. In total, the study found that there were 15 states with Democrat-controlled courts, 27 states with Republican-controlled courts, and eight states with Split courts. The map below shows the court balance score of each state.

Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)

See also: Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores of state supreme court justices, 2012

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Michigan was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Michigan received a score of 0.05. Based on the justices selected, Michigan was the 21st most conservative court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.

Noteworthy cases

The following are noteworthy cases heard before the Michigan Supreme Court. For a full list of opinions published by the court, click here. Know of a case we should cover here? Let us know by emailing us.

• Challenge to Gov. Whitmer's executive orders relating to Covid-19 (2020)      Judge(s):Justice Stephen Markman (Midwest Institute of Health, PLLC v Governor, 161492)	Click for summary→
On May 6, Republicans in the Michigan House and Senate filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's (D) emergency declarations issued to combat the novel coronavirus. The emergency declarations were the source of several executive orders issued by Whitmer in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the state's stay-at-home order. The lawsuit claimed that Whitmer exceeded her authority under two laws that formed the basis of her emergency declaration—the 1976 Emergency Management Act and the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act. On May 21, Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Diane Stephens ruled against the Michigan legislature, dismissing the lawsuit. She wrote that Gov. Whitmer exceeded her authority under the 1976 law but not the 1945 law. On May 22, the legislature asked the state Supreme Court to take up the case. On October 2 the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision that Gov. Whitmer had no authority to issue or renew executive orders relating to Covid-19 beyond April 30, 2020. Justice Markman wrote the majority opinion.

• Courtroom Weekly: For Michigan libraries: keep quiet, guns welcome (2013)      Judge(s):Justice Michael Cavanagh (Capital Area District Library vs. Michigan Open Carry, Inc., SC 146596)	Click for summary→
The Michigan Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that prevents the Capital Area District Library system from restricting the open carry of firearms at its branch locations. The state capital’s libraries had banned the open carry of firearms on its premises, but the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the ban violated a Michigan law that prevents any local unit of government from instituting weapons bans. The high court issued an order declining to hear an appeal of the decision, stating that it was “not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this court.’’ The lawsuit occurred after members of Michigan Open Carry, Inc. (MOC) walked into a library branch with their guns displayed in protest of the library’s ban. When the library tried to enforce the ban, MOC sued. A county trial judge upheld the ban as a reasonable exercise of the library’s authority, but the court of appeals panel disagreed, stating that the state law preempted local ordinances. Though the panel acknowledged that the anti-gun control law did not explicitly include libraries in its language, and instead restricts the ability of “local units of government” to create weapons control measures, the court decided that the law nonetheless applied to the library system, treating it as a local governmental entity. Attorney Gary Bender represented the Capital Area District Library in the suit. Reacting to the supreme court’s decision, Bender said that he felt the court left important constitutional issues unresolved. Rob Harris, media director for Michigan Open Carry, said that the court “vindicated” the group’s position that people have a right to openly carry weapons nearly anywhere.

• Rules in favor of ban on assisted suicide (1994)      Judge(s):Chief Justice Michael Cavanagh (People v. Kevorkian; Hobbins v. Attorney General, 447 Mich. 436 (1994);)	Click for summary→
In 1994, the high court ruled that Michigan's ban on assisted suicide was constitutional. At the center of the cases in question (People v. Kevorkian; Hobbins v. Attorney General) were the actions of Jack Kevorkian for his participation in numerous assisted suicide procedures prior to the ban's enactment. When the court upheld the ban, Kevorkian was convicted of murder. After serving eight years in prison, Kevorkian was paroled in 2007.

• Right to home school (1993)      Judge(s):Justice Dorothy Riley (People v. DeJonge, 442 Mich. 266 (1993);)	Click for summary→
In People v. DeJonge, the court held that Michigan parents have the right to home school their children. The court provided an exemption to the requirement that at least one parent be a certified teacher if the certification would violate a parent's religious beliefs.
For more information on education policy, visit Policypedia.

Ethics

The Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Michigan. It consists of eight overarching canons:

"

Canon 1: A Judge Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary Canon 2: A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All Activities Canon 3: A Judge Should Perform the Duties of Office Impartially and Diligently Canon 4: A Judge May Engage in Extrajudicial Activities Canon 5: Applicability of the Code of Judicial Conduct to Judicial Candidates Canon 6: A Judge Should Regularly File Reports of Compensation Received for Quasi-Judicial and Extra-Judicial Activities And of Monetary Contributions Canon 7: A Judge or a Candidate for Judicial Office Should Refrain From Political Activity Inappropriate to Judicial Office Canon 8: Collective Activity By Judges

”

The full text of the Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Judges in Michigan may be removed in one of three ways:

• The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission may make a recommendation to the Michigan Supreme Court that a judge be suspended, retired, censured, or removed
• A judge may be removed by the governor of Michigan with a concurrent resolution of two-thirds of the members of both the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate
• The Michigan House of Representatives can impeach a judge by a majority vote and the Michigan Senate can then convict a judge with a two-thirds vote.

History of the court

Chambers of the Michigan Supreme Court

On July 24, 1805, the first supreme court for the new Territory of Michigan was established. Augustus B. Woodward, Frederick Bates and James Witherell were the first justices. That year, the Woodward Code was created to outline the structure and proceedings of the court. In March 1823, the lifelong terms of the justices were reduced to four-year terms.

Michigan's Constitution of 1835 laid out new rules for the supreme court. There would be three justices, and one session of court was to be held in Wayne, Washtenaw and Kalamazoo Counties each year. Justices were appointed by the governor, confirmed by the senate, and held terms of seven years. The court had original and appellate jurisdiction in common law and equity cases, as well as action of right and the extra legal remedies of mandamus, quo warranto, habeas corpus and writs of certiorari over decisions made by the circuit courts.

The Michigan Constitution of 1850 made several changes to the court, including the elimination of the separate Court of Chancery, and moving to a supreme court with one chief justice and three associates.

Noteworthy firsts

• 1961: Otis M. Smith was appointed as the first African-American justice on the court
• 1973: Mary S. Coleman became the first woman on the court, and eventually became chief justice

Courts in Michigan

See also: Courts in Michigan

In Michigan, there are two federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Michigan's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Michigan's state court system.

Party control of Michigan state government

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. A state supreme court plays a role in the checks and balances system of a state government.

Michigan has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

See also

Michigan	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Michigan Michigan Court of Appeals Michigan Supreme Court	Elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Michigan	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Michigan Courts, "Michigan Supreme Court"
• Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society

Footnotes

Michigan courts

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Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan

State courts:

Michigan Supreme Court • Michigan Court of Appeals • Michigan Circuit Court • Michigan District Courts • Michigan Probate Courts

State resources:

Courts in Michigan • Michigan judicial elections • Judicial selection in Michigan