There are seven justices on the Michigan Supreme Court. In Michigan, judges are elected to eight-year terms in nonpartisan elections. In the event of a vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement to serve until the next scheduled general election. For more information about these elections, visit the Michigan judicial elections page.

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Michigan

The seven justices of the Michigan Supreme Court are chosen by the Michigan method in which a partisan nomination is followed by nonpartisan elections.^[1] Incumbent judges seeking re-election may file an affidavit of candidacy requesting to be placed on the ballot, while non-incumbent candidates must either file a nominating petition or obtain a partisan nomination at a party convention. Incumbency is noted on the ballot, though party affiliation is not. Judges serve eight-year terms and must be re-elected if they wish to remain on the court.^[2]

Qualifications

To be elected to the supreme court, a judge must:

be a qualified elector;
be licensed to practice law in the state;
have at least five years of law practice experience;
be under the age of 70.^[2]

Chief justice

The chief justice of the court is elected by his or her fellow justices and serves a two-year term^[2]

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a temporary replacement to serve until the next general election. At the governor's request, the state bar's standing committee on judicial qualifications interviews, evaluates, and rates all candidates, submitting a confidential report to the governor. However, the governor is not required to request candidates from the committee, nor is the governor bound by the committee's evaluations.^[2]

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

Elections

2024

See also: Michigan Supreme Court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Michigan Supreme Court

Kimberly Thomas defeated Andrew Fink in the general election for Michigan Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kimberly Thomas (Nonpartisan)	61.1	2,568,043
	Andrew Fink (Nonpartisan)	38.9	1,634,510

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,202,553
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court

Kimberly Thomas advanced from the Democratic convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 24, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Kimberly Thomas (D)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court

Andrew Fink advanced from the Republican convention for Michigan Supreme Court on August 24, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Andrew Fink (R)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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