Michigan judicial elections, 2012
2013 →
← 2011
|
| Judicial Elections |
|---|
|
| Judicial elections, 2012 |
| Judicial election dates |
The Michigan judicial elections consisted of a primary election on August 7 and the general election on November 6, 2012.
Michigan judicial elections summary, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Supreme Court
Candidates competed for two seats.
| Candidate | Incumbency | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Roddis | No | 2.79%  | |
Bridget Mary McCormack  | No | 23.59% | |
| Colleen O'Brien | No | 21.42% | |
| Connie Marie Kelley | No | 21.61% | |
| Doug Dern | No | 3.38% | |
| Kerry L. Morgan | No | 4.07% | |
| Stephen Markman | Yes | 23.1% |
Candidates competed for one seat.
| Candidate | Incumbency | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Zahra | Yes | 49.54% | |
| Mindy Barry | No | 8.73% | |
| Shelia Johnson | No | 41.72% |
Court of Appeals
First District
Candidates competed for two seats.
| Candidate | Incumbency | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirsten Frank Kelly | Yes | 100% | |
| Michael Riordan | Yes | 100% |
Second District
Candidates competed for three seats.
| Candidate | Incumbency | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deborah Servitto | Yes | 100% | |
| Elizabeth Gleicher | Yes | 100% | |
| Kathleen Jansen | Yes | 100% |
Third District
Candidates competed for four seats.
| Candidate | Incumbency | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Shapiro | Yes | 100% | |
| Jane Beckering | Yes | 100% | |
| Mark Boonstra | Yes | 100% | |
| William B. Murphy | Yes | 100% |
Fourth District
Candidates competed for three seats.
| Candidate | Incumbency | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Krause | Yes | 100% | |
| Peter O'Connell | Yes | 100% | |
| Stephen Borrello | Yes | 100% |
Circuit Courts
- For Circuit Court races, visit: Michigan judicial elections, 2012 - Circuit Courts.
District Courts
- For District Court races, visit: Michigan judicial elections, 2012 - District Courts.
Probate Courts
- For Probate Court races, visit: Michigan judicial elections, 2012 - Probate Courts.
In the news
2012 election at a glance: Michigan
Written on November 14, 2012.
This year, 362 candidates competed in races across five levels of the courts. The race for three seats on the Michigan Supreme Court had 10 candidates, six of whom were nominated by at party conventions and four who ran without the designation of one of the two main political parties. In those races, the two incumbent justices, Republicans Stephen Markman and Brian Zahra, were re-elected, while Democrat Bridget Mary McCormack was elected to the court.
All 12 races for the Michigan Court of Appeals had incumbent judges running unopposed for re-election. All were re-elected to six-year terms on the court.
There were three levels of trial courts with elections on November 6th: the Circuit Court, District Court and Probate Courts. Collectively, 342 candidates competed for these courts. Of those 342, 185 were judges who were re-elected and only four incumbent judges were not.
- In 71 races for the Circuit Courts, 46% were unopposed.
- In 65 races for the District Courts, 66% were unopposed.
- In 82 races for the Probate Courts, 71% were unopposed.
Michigan Supreme Court race
As featured in JP Election Brief: The Supreme Court Special on October 18, 2012.
Running in the nonpartisan Michigan Supreme Court race are three Republican-endorsed candidates (Stephen Markman and Colleen O'Brien for the full term; Brian Zahra for the partial term) and three Democratic-endorsed candidates (Connie Marie Kelley and Bridget Mary McCormack for the full term; Shelia Johnson for the partial term). The race includes a total of seven candidates running for two seats on the court, as well as three candidates running for another seat.[1]
Candidate's views
| “ | The issues in this year's Michigan Supreme Court race are: (1) the need for a Supreme Court in Michigan committed to the equal rule-of-law, in which there are no thumbs on the scales of justice, no partisan decisionmaking, no politics in the courtroom, and no judicial constituencies, and in which all parties stand equally before the law; (2) the need for a Supreme Court in Michigan committed to the 'rule of law' and not to the 'rule of judges,' in which judges respect our constitution's "judicial power" by saying only what the law "is" and not he or she personally believes the law "ought" to be. The latter authority belongs to the people's representatives in the legislative branch; and (3) the need for a Supreme Court in Michigan committed to the proposition that maintainance of a strong and effective criminal justice system constitutes the first responsibility of the state judiciary. It is the first civil right of the people to be free from violent criminal predators, and without that civil right being upheld, no society can prosper.[2] -Stephen Markman[3] |
” |
| “ | The Michigan Supreme Court's work impacts all Michigan families and businesses, and it does so in critical ways. The ability of its justices to remain above politics and apply the rule of law impartially is supposed to separate the judiciary from the other branches of our government. I'm running for the Michigan Supreme Court to restore Michigan citizens' confidence in the Court's integrity, to ensure the Court gives everyone a fair shake, and to promote civility and reduce partisanship in our judiciary.[4] -Bridget McCormack[3] |
” |
| “ | This race should be important to voters who want to restore fairness to the Michigan Supreme Court. The primary role of the Supreme Court is to provide justice to the citizens of the state. As the court of last resort, the Michigan Supreme Court must be fair and follow the law, thereby reassuring the public they are independent of any special interests when making decisions that effect things like child protection, fairness in the workplace, pensions and collective bargaining.[5] -Connie Marie Kelley[3] |
” |
Judge's retirement takes race off ballot
As featured in JP Election Brief: Retentions, retirements and ratings on September 20, 2012.
The Chippewa County Probate Court was intended to lose a judge through attrition this year, as recommended by a bill signed into law earlier this year. However, Judge Lowell R. Ulrich filed to run for re-election to the Chippewa County Probate Court. Before the August primary, incumbent Ulrich decided to retire instead of running for re-election.[6]
Once Ulrich announced his intention to retire, the state Director of Elections ordered the Chippewa County Clerk to remove the race from the ballot.
Now, Patrick M. Shannon, who would have challenged Ulrich in the general election, is suing the Michigan Election Bureau. In a suit filed in the 50th Circuit Court, Shannon contends that the retirement of Ulrich leaves an open seat on the Probate Court.[7]
Filing deadline sets judicial races
As featured in JP Election Brief: Candidates filing in Michigan, Kentucky, Washington and more! on May 3, 2012.
With the exception of races for the Michigan Supreme Court, the deadline for judicial candidates in the state for this year's primary election was Tuesday, May 1.
Below is a highlight of Michigan's judicial races in 2012:
Court of Appeals 12 incumbents have filed for re-election to the Michigan Court of Appeals, and not one will face an opponent this year. To learn who is running, visit: Michigan judicial elections, 2012.
Circuit Courts 59 incumbents have filed for re-election to the Michigan Circuit Court. To learn who is running, visit: Michigan judicial elections, 2012 - Circuit Courts.
District Courts 62 incumbents have filed for re-election to the Michigan District Courts. To learn who is running, visit: Michigan judicial elections, 2012 - District Courts.
Probate Courts 68 incumbents have filed for re-election to the Michigan Probate Courts. [8]
See also
External links
- Tag Golden.com: 2012 Candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court
- The Oakland Express, "Oakland County judges object to outside money in their re-election campaigns," October 07, 2012
- Chicago Tribune, "U-M law professor eyes Michigan Supreme Court seat," January 25, 2012 (dead link)
- MLive.com, "Michigan Democrats plan 'endorsement convention' at Cobo Center in Detroit," January 5, 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ The News-Herald, "Election 2012: Three Michigan Supreme Court terms to be decided," October 13, 2012
- ↑ Information submitted to Judgepedia by Justice Markman's campaign via email on 10/17/2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Information submitted to Judgepedia by McCormack's campaign via email on 10/17/2012
- ↑ Information submitted to Judgepedia by McCormack's campaign via email on 10/23/2012
- ↑ Mackinac Town Crier, "Shannon Has Good Chance To Win Election, But Will he Be Seated as Judge?" August 4, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsuit - ↑ Michigan Department of State, 2012 Unofficial Michigan Primary Candidate Listing
| |||||||
