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 is running for re-election for judge of the Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals. He declared candidacy for the primary scheduled on August 4, 2026.[source]
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.[1]
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.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on August 4, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals (3 seats)
Incumbent Allie Greenleaf Maldonado (Nonpartisan), incumbent Michael J. Kelly (Nonpartisan), and incumbent Michelle Rick (Nonpartisan) are running in the primary for Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals on August 4, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Allie Greenleaf Maldonado (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Michael J. Kelly (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Michelle Rick (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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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 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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.
[2]
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2020
Michael J. Kelly did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
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.[3] 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."[4]
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."[5]
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Officeholder Michigan 4th District Court of Appeals |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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
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
