Michigan Supreme Court elections, 2016

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2016 State
Judicial Elections
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Part 1: Overview
Part 2: Supreme Courts
Part 3: Partisanship
Part 4: Changes in 2016

Two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court were on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016. Full terms on the supreme court are eight years long.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Michigan judicial general elections are nonpartisan, but political parties nominate candidates.
  • Justice David Viviano (R) was first appointed to the court in 2013, was elected in 2014 to finish the term of his predecessor, and ran for re-election to a full term. He faced Frank S. Szymanski (D) and Doug Dern and won.
  • Justice Joan Larsen (R) was appointed in 2015 and ran for election to complete the unfinished term of retired Mary Beth Kelly. She faced Deborah Thomas (D) and Kerry L. Morgan (Lib.) and won.
  • Republicans held a 5-2 majority on the court heading into the election. With the re-election of both Larsen and Viviano, the balance remains unchanged.
  • Candidates

    Viviano's seat

    David Viviano Green check mark transparent.png (Incumbent)
    Frank S. Szymanski
    Doug Dern

    Larsen's seat

    Joan Larsen Green check mark transparent.png (Incumbent)
    Deborah Thomas
    Kerry L. Morgan

    Election results

    November 8 general election

    Incumbent David Viviano defeated Frank S. Szymanski and Doug Dern in the general election for the Michigan Supreme Court, Viviano's seat.

    Michigan Supreme Court, Viviano's Seat, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png David Viviano Incumbent 67.23% 2,316,459
         Democratic Frank S. Szymanski 23.01% 792,944
         Natural Law Party of Michigan Doug Dern 9.76% 336,160
    Total Votes (83 of 83 counties: 100%) 3,445,563
    Source: Michigan Secretary of State Official Results

    Incumbent Joan Larsen defeated Deborah Thomas and Kerry L. Morgan in the general election for the Michigan Supreme Court, Larsen's seat.

    Michigan Supreme Court, Larsen's Seat, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Joan Larsen Incumbent 57.62% 1,940,260
         Democratic Deborah Thomas 29.23% 984,107
         Libertarian Kerry L. Morgan 13.15% 442,781
    Total Votes (84 of 83 counties: 100%) 3,367,148
    Source: Michigan Secretary of State Official Results

    Political composition

    Michigan's supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. Justices are listed as nonpartisan on the ballot, though the state Democratic and Republican parties, along with third parties, typically nominate candidates at their state conventions.

    Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr.
    Justice Stephen Markman
    Justice Brian Zahra
    Justice Joan Larsen
    Justice David Viviano
    Justice Bridget Mary McCormack
    Justice Richard Bernstein

    Selection

    The court's seven justices are chosen in nonpartisan elections for eight-year terms. Though the political affiliations of judicial candidates are not listed on state ballots, most are nominated by either the Democratic or Republican parties. Should a vacancy occur, the governor may appoint a temporary justice for a term lasting until the next general election. The newly appointed justice then must run for re-election to retain the seat.[1]

    Qualifications

    To be a qualified candidate for the state supreme court, a person must be a qualified elector (registered voter) of the state, must have been licensed to practice law in the state for at least five years, and must be younger than 70 years old, the age of mandatory retirement.[2][1]

    Chief justice

    Every two years, members of the court elect one of their own to serve as chief justice.[1]

    State profile

    Demographic data for Michigan
     MichiganU.S.
    Total population:9,917,715316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):56,5393,531,905
    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.[3]

    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

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Michigan Supreme Court election' OR 'Michigan Supreme Court'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    See also

    Michigan Judicial Selection More Courts
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    Courts in Michigan
    Michigan Court of Appeals
    Michigan Supreme Court
    Elections: 202520242023202220212020201920182017
    Gubernatorial appointments
    Judicial selection in Michigan
    Federal courts
    State courts
    Local courts

    External links

    Footnotes