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Kathleen Jansen
Kathleen Jansen was a judge of the Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals. She assumed office in 1989. She left office on January 1, 2025.
Jansen ran for re-election for judge of the Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals. She won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Education
Jansen received her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and earned her J.D. from the University of Detroit Law School.[1]
Career
Before her appointment to the Michigan Second District Court of Appeals, Jansen served as a judge of the Macomb County Probate Court and the Macomb Circuit Court, and she worked as an attorney in private practice.[1]
Elections
2024
Kathleen Jansen did not file to run for re-election.
2018
General election
General election for Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals (3 seats)
Incumbent Kathleen Jansen, incumbent Elizabeth L. Gleicher, and incumbent Deborah Servitto won election in the general election for Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kathleen Jansen (Nonpartisan) | 34.2 | 592,091 | |
| ✔ | Elizabeth L. Gleicher (Nonpartisan) | 33.0 | 570,856 | |
| ✔ | Deborah Servitto (Nonpartisan) | 32.8 | 566,771 | |
| Total votes: 1,729,718 | |||
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Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
The 28 judges of the Michigan Court of Appeals are chosen in nonpartisan elections and must face re-election if they wish to continue serving. A full term on the court is six years. Candidates are placed on the ballot via nonpartisan primaries or by nominating petitions.[2] The process for filling vacancies on the appeals court is identical to that used by the supreme court. With the assistance of the judicial qualifications committee, the governor names a replacement to serve until the next general election.[2]
Qualifications
To be elected to the court, a judge must:
- be a qualified elector of his or her district;
- be licensed to practice law in the state;
- have at least five years of law practice experience;
- be under the age of 70.[2]
Sitting judges who reach age 70 are allowed to serve out the remainder of their term.[3]
Selection of the chief judge
The chief judge of the appeals court is selected by supreme court appointment to terms lasting two years.[2]
2012
Jansen was re-elected after running unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012.[4][5]
- See also: Michigan judicial elections, 2012
Noteworthy cases
Court: nonprofit not a public agency; Jansen in dissent
On March 6, 2003, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in a 3-1 decision that the Michigan High School Athletic Association and public schools "'work in tandem' to achieve mutual benefits and that the association does not 'usurp the schools' money making capacity.'" The MHSAA severed its ties from the state in 1972 when it became a nonprofit organization, and because the association is not supported through a state or local authority, it is not considered a public agency. Because it is not considered a public agency, it therefore is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. According to The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, in dissent, Judge Kathleen Jansen agreed with the trial court that the MHSAA is a public agency. "The schools allow the MHSAA to operate athletic events and to receive funding from the tickets that are sold at those events, making it clear that the funding exists through the school's authority," Jansen wrote.[6]
Doctor can be charged with performing illegal abortion
Dr. Jose Gilberto Higuera performed a 28-week abortion in 1994 in violation of a Michigan law prohibiting abortion beyond the first trimester unless the mother's life is at risk. The Michigan Court of Appeals determined that the law was not unconstitutionally vague and that the state could prosecute the doctor. In dissent, Judge Kathleen Jansen reasoned that the statute was unconstitutionally vague because a doctor could not be expected to discern which abortions would be legal, and which would be illegal--essentially, that the doctor would not be able to determine how far along the woman was if the patient didn't tell the doctor. It is believed that the case against Higuera is the only time that a doctor has been held legally responsible for an illegal abortion since Roe v. Wade.[7]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Michigan," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Daily, "Washtenaw County judge announces early retirement," May 1, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, Unofficial 2012 General Election Results:2nd District Court of Appeals Judge
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, "2012 Unofficial Michigan Primary Candidate Listing," July 31, 2012
- ↑ Michigan High School Athletic Association is not a public agency, appeals court rules
- ↑ Court holds that late-abortion law is not unconstitutionally vague
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| Former | Clifford Taylor (Michigan) • Michael Cavanagh • Elizabeth Weaver • Marilyn Kelly • Maura Corrigan • Stephen Markman • Richard Bandstra • Helene White • Kurtis Wilder • Brian Zahra • Pat Donofrio • E. Thomas Fitzgerald (Michigan) • Michael Smolenski • Alton Davis • William Whitbeck • Bill Schuette (Michigan) • Robert P. Young Jr. • | ||
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
