Joel Hoekstra
Joel P. Hoekstra was a judge on the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals from 1995 to 2018. He was elected to this position in 1994.[1] He retired from the bench in 2018.[2]
Education
Hoekstra earned his bachelor's degree from Calvin College and his J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law.[1]
Career
Hoekstra was an assistant Kent County prosecuting attorney, a district court judge, and a Calvin College adjunct faculty member before his election to the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals in 1994.[1]
Elections
2016
Hoekstra filed to run for re-election in 2016.[3] He was unopposed.
Election results
November 8 general election
Incumbent Joel Hoekstra ran unopposed in the general election for the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals, Hoekstra's seat.
| Michigan Third District Court of Appeals, Hoekstra's Seat, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Joel Hoekstra Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 660,672 | |
| Total Votes (87 of 83 counties: 100%) | 660,672 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
2010
Hoekstra ran unopposed and was re-elected on November 2, 2010.[4][5]
- See also: Michigan judicial elections, 2010
RMGN court proposal
In 2008, Reform Michigan Government Now (RMGN) put forward a proposal to reduce the Michigan Court of Appeals from 28 to 21 judges, based on term expiration dates, which would have shifted the court's political power from the Republicans to the Democrats. However, the proposal failed. Had the proposal passed, the court's political makeup would have changed from 16 Republican judges and 12 Democratic judges to 10 Republican judges and 11 Democratic judges--thereby eliminating six Republican judges and one Democratic judge. The judges targeted by the RMGN proposal were: Pat Donofrio, Joel Hoekstra, Donald Owens, David Sawyer, William Whitbeck, Kurtis Wilder and Helene White--the only Democrat affected by these suggested removals.[6]
Noteworthy cases
Court rejects same-sex benefits
The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that providing health benefits to same-sex partners of public sector employees violates the Michigan Constitution. In Kalamazoo, Michigan, public sector employees were eligible for those benefits. According to the Detroit News, the unanimous ruling by Judges Kurtis Wilder, Joel Hoekstra and Brian Zahra struck down an earlier ruling by an Ingham County court judge in a case brought by National Pride at Work Inc. against the city of Kalamazoo. The court ruled "such arrangements violate a constitutional amendment that state voters approved in 2004 that bars public employers from recognizing same-sex unions for any purpose." Matt Coles, Director of the ACLU's Lesbian and Gay Rights Project in New York City, said if the ruling is upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court, "Michigan will be the first state to remove health-care benefits from same-sex spouses as a result of such an amendment."[7]
Woman wins 5-year battle to see file
At 15, while suffering from a mental illness, "FG" found out that she was pregnant. She sought a judicial bypass from a Washtenaw County Probate Court judge so she could obtain an abortion without informing her parents or getting their permission. Years after the abortion, "FG" formally requested her court file--she wanted to learn "whether she actually agreed to the judicial bypass and the abortion, and whether any of her rights had been violated." Because of her medical condition, FG had only a vague memory of what had taken place during the probate court proceeding. In a November 23, 2004 opinion written by Judge E. Thomas Fitzgerald (Michigan) and joined by Judge Joel Hoekstra, the Court reversed the Washtenaw County Probate Judge's decision to deny her request to see her file. Judge Jessica Cooper dissented.[8]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Michigan Court of Appeals Joel Hoekstra. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Freedom of Information Act Decision
- Michigan court: No same-sex benefits
- Washington Post: No Same-Sex Benefits
- American Family Association of Michigan
- Appeals Court affirms Kevorkian's murder conviction
- Michigan Medical Law
- World Socialist Website
- Cussing canoeist's conviction thrown out, along with 105-year-old law
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Third District Judges: Biography of Judge Hoekstra
- ↑ State Bar of Michigan, "Judicial Vacancy—Court of Appeals, 3rd District," August 2, 2018
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Candidate Listing," accessed March 24, 2016
- ↑ Michigan 2010 Unofficial General Election Results
- ↑ Michigan 2010 candidate list
- ↑ Democrats will take over on Michigan Court of Appeals
- ↑ The Detroit News
- ↑ Woman wins 5-Year Legal Battle To See Court File on Abortion
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 Court of Claims • Michigan District Courts • Michigan Municipal Courts • Michigan Probate Courts
State resources:
Courts in Michigan • Michigan judicial elections • Judicial selection in Michigan
