The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the state capital.
Operations
Each year, the Court receives approximately 2,000 new case filings. In most cases, the litigants seek review of Michigan Court of Appeals decisions, but the Supreme Court also hears cases of attorney misconduct (through a bifurcated disciplinary system comprising an investigation and prosecution agency – the Attorney Grievance Commission – and a separate adjudicative agency – the Attorney Discipline Board), judicial misconduct (through the Judicial Tenure Commission), as well as a small number of matters over which the Court has original jurisdiction.
In all cases filed with it, the court issues a decision by order or opinion. The court's opinions and orders are reported in an official publication, Michigan Reports, and in Thomson West's privately published North Western Reporter.
Administration of the courts
The Court's other duties include overseeing the operations of all state trial courts. It is assisted in this endeavor by the State Court Administrative Office, one of its agencies. The Court's responsibilities also include a public comment process for changes to court rules, rules of evidence, and other administrative matters. The court has broad superintending control power over all the state courts in Michigan.
Article 6, Section 30 of the Michigan Constitution creates the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. This agency within the judiciary has jurisdiction over allegations of judicial misconduct, misbehavior, and infirmity. The Supreme Court is given original, superintending control power and appellate jurisdiction over the issue of penalty (up to and including removal of judges from office).
History
The Michigan Supreme Court can be dated back to the Supreme Court of Michigan Territory, established in 1805 with three justices. These justices served for indefinite terms. In 1823, the terms of justices were limited to four years. Every two years, the justices elect a member of the Court to serve as Chief Justice.
Current justices
Following the 2012 election, the court had a 4–3 Republican majority, with Robert P. Young Jr. serving as Chief Justice. After Justice Diane Hathaway's resignation and David Viviano's appointment in 2013, there was a 5–2 Republican majority. After the 2018 election, the court reverted to a 4–3 Republican majority with the election of Megan Cavanagh.
In 2020, Bridget Mary McCormack was re-elected, and Elizabeth M. Welch was elected for her first term, giving the Democrats a 4–3 majority on the court starting January 1, 2021. This also made the court majority female for the fourth time in state history. With the election of Kimberly Thomas to succeed retiring Justice David Viviano in 2024, Democrats increased their advantage to a 5–2 majority on the court, starting January 1, 2025. Months later, Democrats increased their majority on the court to 6–1 following the resignation of Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement and the appointment of Noah Hood.
The current justices of the Michigan Supreme Court are:
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Name
!Born
!Start
!Chief term
!Term ends
!Mandatory retirement
!Party
!Appointer
!Law school
|-
|, Chief Justice
|
|
|2025–present
|2026
|2042
| |Democratic
|
|Wayne
|-
|
|
|
|align="center" |–
|2030
|2030
| |Republican
| | (R)
|Detroit Mercy
|-
|
|
|
|align="center" |–
|2030
|2046
| |Democratic
|
|Northwestern
|-
|
|
|
|align="center" |–
|2028
|2044
| |Democratic
|
|Ohio State
|-
|
|
|
|align="center" |–
|2028
|2060
| |Democratic
| | (D)
|Detroit Mercy
|-
|
|
|
|align="center" |–
|2032
|2048
| |Democratic
|
|Harvard
|-
|
|
|
|align="center" |–
|2026
|2060
| |Democratic
| | (D)
|Harvard
|}
See also
- Judiciary of Michigan
References
Further reading
External links
- Michigan Supreme Court
- Michigan Supreme Court Commentary
- Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society