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Michael J. Kelly (Michigan)
Michael J. Kelly is a judge of the Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals. He assumed office in 2009. His current term ends on January 1, 2027.
Kelly ran for re-election for judge of the Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Additionally, in April 2019, Borrello was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to serve as a judge on the Michigan Court of Claims. This role was in addition to his appellate court duties. His term began on May 1, 2019, and expired on May 1, 2021.[1]
Education
Kelly received his B.A. from the University of Michigan at Flint in 1984 and his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law in 1988. In 1987, he was accepted to the London Law Program at Regents College in London, England.[2]
Career
Kelly began his legal career as a judicial advisory assistant to a circuit court judge. He worked in private practice as a trial lawyer for 20 years before his election to the Fourth District Court of Appeals. Kelly is an adjunct professor of criminal law and procedure in the Department of Criminal Justice at Ferris State University.[2]
Elections
2020
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
General election
General election for Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals (2 seats)
Incumbent Michael J. Kelly and incumbent Amy Ronayne Krause won election in the general election for Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Michael J. Kelly (Nonpartisan) | 52.4 | 738,520 | |
| ✔ | Amy Ronayne Krause (Nonpartisan) | 47.6 | 670,234 | |
| Total votes: 1,408,754 | |||
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Campaign finance
2014
See also: Michigan judicial elections, 2014
Kelly ran for re-election to the Fourth District Court of Appeals.
General: He was unopposed in the general election on November 4, 2014.
[3]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michael J. Kelly did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy cases
On May 19, 2020, Kelly ruled that the stay-at-home orders issued by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) in response to the coronavirus pandemic were constitutional. The group Michigan United for Liberty filed a lawsuit against Whitmer in the Court of Claims on April 21, alleging that due to the separation of legislative and executive branches of government, the state constitution does not grant the governor emergency powers and Whitmer's orders were therefore unconstitutional. The lawsuit requested that the court issue a preliminary injunction declaring Whitmer's orders as such and forbidding her from issuing further stay-at-home orders.[4] Kelly denied the group's request. He wrote in the ruling, "Both the [Emergency Management Act] and the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act confer broad authority upon the office of the Governor. History will determine whether the Governor is judiciously exercising this authority in response to the COVID-19 pandemic."[5]
In response, Michigan United for Liberty issued the following statement on its website: "While we are disappointed that because of this order, the Governor’s destruction of Michigan will continue, it is important to understand that this is only a pre-trial motion. The case is still pending, and an issue of this tremendous importance is all but certain to ultimately be decided by a court of appeals, perhaps even the U.S. Supreme Court."[6]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
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Officeholder Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals |
Footnotes
- ↑ Michigan Supreme Court, "Assignment of Judges to the Court of Claims and Reappointment of Chief Judge," April 18, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michigan Courts.gov, "Fourth District Judges: Judge Michael J. Kelly Biography," accessed July 10, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2014 Official Michigan Primary Candidate Listing," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ MLive, "Court ruling favors Whitmer in lawsuit over emergency orders," May 19, 2020
- ↑ State of Michigan Court of Claims, "Opinion and order denying motion for preliminary injunction, case no. 20-000061-MZ," May 19, 2020
- ↑ Michigan United for Liberty, "Michigan United for Liberty Statement on Denial of Preliminary Injunction," May 20, 2020
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