Michigan Third District Court of Appeals

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Judges of the Michigan Court of Appeals

The Michigan Third District Court of Appeals is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Overview

The Third District office handles cases arising in the counties of Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Eaton, Ionia, Jackson, Kent, Mason, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa, Van Buren and Washtenaw.

Published opinions of the Michigan Court of Appeals can be found here.

 

Michigan Court of Appeals
Court information
Judges:	25
Founded:	1963
Salary:	Associates: $195,625
Judicial selection
Method:	Nonpartisan election of judges
Term:	6 years

Judges

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Mark Boonstra	2012 - Present	Rick Snyder
James Robert Redford	2018 - Present	Rick Snyder
Kathleen Feeney	January 1, 2023 - Present	Elected
Christopher P. Yates	April 18, 2022 - Present	Gretchen Whitmer
Daniel Korobkin	May 12, 2025 - Present	Gretchen Whitmer
Philip Mariani	March 15, 2024 - Present	Gretchen Whitmer

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.

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.

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.

Chief judge

The chief judge of the appeals court is selected by supreme court appointment for a term lasting two years.

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.

Elections

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2020
• 2018

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

Daniel Korobkin's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Mark Boonstra's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals (2 seats)

Incumbent Christopher P. Yates (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Philip Mariani (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christopher P. Yates (Nonpartisan)	52.2	728,364
✔	Submit photo	Philip Mariani (Nonpartisan)	47.8	666,575

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,394,939
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for August 6, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Philip Mariani (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Christopher P. Yates (Nonpartisan) advanced from the primary for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

Regular election: Non-incumbent seat

General election

General election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals

Kathleen Feeney (Nonpartisan) defeated Raymond P. Voet (Nonpartisan) in the general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kathleen Feeney (Nonpartisan)	61.9	489,462
	Submit photo	Raymond P. Voet (Nonpartisan)	38.1	301,504

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 790,966
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kerene Moore (Nonpartisan)

Regular election: Incumbent seat

General election

General election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals

Incumbent James Robert Redford (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Robert Redford (Nonpartisan)	100.0	686,786

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 686,786
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Special election: Incumbent seat

General election

Special general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals

Incumbent Christopher P. Yates (Nonpartisan) won election in the special general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christopher P. Yates (Nonpartisan)	100.0	686,680

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 686,680
= 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

Regular election: Incumbent seats regular election

General election

General election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals (2 seats)

Incumbent Jane Markey (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Mark Boonstra (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jane Markey (Nonpartisan)	51.1	733,880
✔	Submit photo	Mark Boonstra (Nonpartisan)	48.9	701,411

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,435,291
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Special election: Incumbent seat special election

General election

Special general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals

Incumbent James Robert Redford (Nonpartisan) won election in the special general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Robert Redford (Nonpartisan)	100.0	817,016

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 817,016
= 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.

See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals (2 seats)

Incumbent Jane M. Beckering (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Douglas Shapiro (Nonpartisan) won election in the general election for Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jane M. Beckering (Nonpartisan)	52.1	678,505
✔	Submit photo	Douglas Shapiro (Nonpartisan)	47.9	622,681

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,301,186
= 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.

Previous election results

2016

Main article: Michigan judicial elections, 2016

Candidates

Judge Hoekstra's seat

■ Joel Hoekstra (R) (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Judge Sawyer's seat

■ David Sawyer (R) (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Election results

November 8 general election

Incumbent Joel Hoekstra ran unopposed in the general election for the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals, Hoekstra's seat.

Michigan Third District Court of Appeals, Hoekstra's Seat, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Joel Hoekstra Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	660,672
Total Votes (87 of 83 counties: 100%)				660,672
Source: Michigan Secretary of State Official Results

Incumbent David Sawyer ran unopposed in the general election for the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals, Sawyer's seat.

Michigan Third District Court of Appeals, Sawyer's Seat, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	David Sawyer Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	578,634
Total Votes (88 of 83 counties: 100%)				578,634
Source: Michigan Secretary of State Official Results

2014

Third District, candidates competed for 2 open seats

Candidate	Incumbency	Primary Vote	Election Vote
BoonstraMark BoonstraA	Yes		A
MarkeyJane MarkeyA	Yes		A

2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Primary Vote	Election Vote
ShapiroDouglas Shapiro   A	Yes		100%   A
BeckeringJane Beckering   A	Yes		100%   A
BoonstraMark Boonstra   A	Yes		100%   A
MurphyWilliam B. Murphy   A	Yes		100%   A

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:

“

Canon 1: A Judge Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary Canon 2: A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All Activities Canon 3: A Judge Should Perform the Duties of Office Impartially and Diligently Canon 4: A Judge May Engage in Extrajudicial Activities Canon 5: Applicability of the Code of Judicial Conduct to Judicial Candidates Canon 6: A Judge Should Regularly File Reports of Compensation Received for Quasi-Judicial and Extra-Judicial Activities and of Monetary Contributions Canon 7: A Judge or a Candidate for Judicial Office Should Refrain From Political Activity Inappropriate to Judicial Office Canon 8: Collective Activity By Judges

”

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
• 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
• 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.

History

The Michigan Court of Appeals was created by the Michigan 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, "[t]he 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.

Noteworthy cases

• Appeals court denied appeal but sent message to legislature (2015) (People of Michigan v. Bosca)

Click for summary→

A three-judge panel for the Third District Court of Appeals in Michigan denied an inmate's request to appeal his sentence but sent a message to the Michigan Legislature about the state of the Sex Offender Registry Act (SORA). In 2011, Vincent Bosca cultivated marijuana on his property. After the teenagers stole the crop, Bosca’s son identified the individuals involved and lured them back to the property, where Bosca and two adult men were present. The teenagers were confined in the basement and subjected to intimidation. They did not sustain serious physical injuries, and Bosca was charged with unlawful imprisonment of a minor, among other offenses. In Michigan, a person convicted of this offense, no matter the nature of the crime itself, has to register on the sex offender list. Neither teenager alleged any sexual abuse. The Third District Court of Appeals, in its opinion denying Bosca’s request to appeal the portion of his sentence that required him to register under SORA, wrote that: “ There nonetheless remains something troubling about the fact that defendant, while an offender who may properly and constitutionally be required to register in furtherance of the purpose of [Sex Offenders Registration Act], is deemed a ‘sex offender’ even though the offenses of which he was convicted, including the offenses for which he is required to register, as well as the conduct underlying them, were wholly non-sexual in nature. ” —Third District Court of Appeals The panel stated that the Michigan Legislature should review and amend the law, suggesting changes such as renaming it. At the time, the state law mirrored the federal sex offender registry law. Bosca's attorney said his client could appeal this latest denial. The three-judge panel presiding over this request to appeal included Mark Boonstra, Jane Beckering, and Michael Riordan. Articles: Macomb Daily, "Appeals judges call for change to sex offenders registration law," April 1, 2015 Washington Post, "How someone who didn’t commit a sexual crime can be forced to register as a sex offender," April 1, 2015

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.

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

Michigan	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Michigan Michigan Court of Appeals Michigan Supreme Court	Elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Michigan	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Michigan Courts, "Michigan Court of Appeals"

Footnotes

Michigan courts

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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