Michigan First District Court of Appeals
The Michigan First District Court of Appeals is the state appellate court domiciled in Detroit, Michigan.[1]
The First District office handles cases arising from the counties of Branch, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Lenawee, Monroe, St. Joseph and Wayne. There are seven judges serving the First District Court of Appeals.[2]
- Published opinions of the Michigan Court of Appeals can be found here.
| Michigan Court of Appeals | |||
 | |||
| Court information | |||
| Judges: | 25[3] | ||
| Founded: | 1963 | ||
| Salary: | Associates: $195,625[4] | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Nonpartisan election of judges | ||
| Term: | 6 years | ||
Judges
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
2012 - Present |
Rick Snyder |
|
|
2017 - Present |
Rick Snyder |
|
|
2002 - Present |
John Engler |
|
|
2018 - Present |
Rick Snyder |
|
|
April 1, 2022 - Present |
Gretchen Whitmer |
|
|
May 13, 2025 - Present |
Gretchen Whitmer |
Vacancies
As of May 2025, there are no current vacancies on the Michigan First District Court of Appeals, out of the court's seven judicial positions.
Salary
- See also: Michigan court salaries and budgets
In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $195,625, according to the National Center for State Courts.[5]
Judicial selection
The judges of the Michigan Court of Appeals are chosen in nonpartisan elections and must face re-election if they wish to remain on the court. Unlike the supreme court, candidates are placed on the ballot via nonpartisan primaries or by nominating petitions. Judges on the appeals court serve six-year terms.[6]
Qualifications
To be elected to the appeals 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.[6]
Chief judge
The chief judge of the appeals court is selected by supreme court appointment for a term lasting two years.[6]
Vacancies
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.[6]
Elections
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2030
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2028
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
General election
General election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals (2 seats)
Incumbent Kirsten Frank Kelly (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Michael Riordan (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kirsten Frank Kelly (Nonpartisan) | 58.0 | 626,399 | |
| ✔ |  | Michael Riordan (Nonpartisan) | 42.0 | 453,515 |
| Total votes: 1,079,914 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary
The primary scheduled for August 6, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Kirsten Frank Kelly (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Michael Riordan (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals without appearing on the ballot.
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
Special election: Incumbent seat
General election
Special general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals
Incumbent Noah Hood (Nonpartisan) won election in the special general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Noah Hood (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 522,016 |
| Total votes: 522,016 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Regular election: Incumbent seat
General election
General election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals (2 seats)
Incumbent Kristina Robinson Garrett (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Thomas Cameron (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kristina Robinson Garrett (Nonpartisan) | 51.8 | 465,881 | |
| ✔ | Thomas Cameron (Nonpartisan) | 48.2 | 432,894 | |
| Total votes: 898,775 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
General election
General election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals (3 seats)
Incumbent Karen Fort Hood (Nonpartisan), incumbent Christopher Murray (Nonpartisan), and incumbent Anica Letica (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Karen Fort Hood (Nonpartisan) | 37.9 | 594,032 | |
| ✔ |  | Christopher Murray (Nonpartisan) | 31.8 | 497,982 |
| ✔ | Anica Letica (Nonpartisan) | 30.3 | 475,710 | |
| Total votes: 1,567,724 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2018
Regular election
General election
General election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals (2 seats)
Incumbent Kirsten Frank Kelly (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Michael Riordan (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kirsten Frank Kelly (Nonpartisan) | 56.1 | 572,883 | |
| ✔ | | Michael Riordan (Nonpartisan) | 43.9 | 447,658 |
| Total votes: 1,020,541 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Special election
General election
Special general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals
Incumbent Thomas Cameron (Nonpartisan) won election in the special general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Thomas Cameron (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 591,516 | |
| Total votes: 591,516 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Ethics
The Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Michigan. It consists of eight overarching canons:
| “ |
|
” |
The full text of the Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.
Removal of judges
Judges in Michigan may be removed in one of three ways:
- The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission may make a recommendation to the Michigan Supreme Court that a judge be suspended, retired, censured, or removed[9]
- A judge may be removed by the governor of Michigan with a concurrent resolution of two-thirds of the members of both the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate[10]
- The Michigan House of Representatives can impeach a judge by a majority vote, and the Michigan Senate can then convict a judge with a two-thirds vote.[11]
Organization
The Michigan Court of Appeals was created by the Constitution of 1963, Article VI, Section 1, under which the State of Michigan has "one court of justice." According to the Michigan Court of Appeals website, "The judicial power of the state is vested exclusively in one court of justice which shall be divided into one supreme court, one court of appeals, one trial court of general jurisdiction known as the circuit court, one probate court, and courts of limited jurisdiction that the legislature may establish by a two-thirds vote of the members elected to and serving in each house." In 1965, when the Court of Appeals first assembled, it had nine judges: Chief Judge T. John Lesinski, Chief Judge pro tempore John W. Fitzgerald, Judge Robert B. Burns, Judge John H. Gillis, Judge Donald E. Holbrook, Judge Thomas Giles Kavanagh, Judge Louis D. McGregor, Judge Timothy C. Quinn and Judge John D. Watts. The court had offices in three cities: Lansing, Detroit and Grand Rapids. The court opened another office in Southfield in 1994, which was moved to Troy in 2004.[12]
Office address
14th Floor, Cadillac Place, 3020 West Grand Boulevard, Suite 14-300, Detroit, MI 48202-6020.[13]
State profile
| Demographic data for Michigan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 9,917,715 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 56,539 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 79% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 14% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 4.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 26.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $49,576 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 20% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Michigan. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Michigan
Michigan voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 12 are located in Michigan, accounting for 5.83 percent of the total pivot counties.[14]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Michigan had 11 Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 6.08 and 4.00 of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Michigan coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Michigan
- United States congressional delegations from Michigan
- Public policy in Michigan
- Endorsers in Michigan
- Michigan fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Michigan Courts, "About the Court," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ Michigan Courts, "First District Judges," accessed September 3, 2020
- ↑ Legislation to reduce IAC judges from 28 to 24 was enacted in 2012; the reduction is to be performed by attrition over time, not by removing sitting judges from their positions.
- ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "2025 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 8, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 27, 2021
- ↑ Michigan Judicial Branch, "Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct," accessed August 18, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ State of Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, "What the Commission CAN Do," accessed July 17, 2023
- ↑ Justia US Law, "Michigan Constitution Article VI - JUDICIAL BRANCH § 25 Removal of judges from office," accessed July 17, 2023
- ↑ JUSTIA US Law, "Michigan Supreme Court Decisions," accessed August 18, 2025
- ↑ Michigan Courts, "Court of Appeals History," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Courts, "COA Clerk's Office," archived May 9, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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
