Michigan judicial elections, 2014

Michigan judicial elections, 2014
Overview
Total candidates:	327
Primary candidates:	87
General election candidates:	288
Incumbency
Incumbents:	211
Incumbent success rate:	99%
Competition - general election
Percent of candidates in contested races:	32%
Percent uncontested:	68%

2015 → ← 2013
Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2014
Judicial election dates
Candidates by state
Supreme court elections

The Michigan judicial elections included 327 candidates in 2014. There were 211 incumbents seeking new terms and 196 judicial candidates were unopposed for election in November. Sixteen incumbent judges competed in a contested election, and three of them were defeated.

The Michigan Supreme Court elections brought no change to the court's party balance. Neither party gained or lost seats, as two Republican incumbents, Brian Zahra and David Viviano, were re-elected, and Democratic candidate Richard Bernstein filled the seat of a former Democratic justice.

Election dates

• July 7: Filing deadline
• August 5: Primary; Deadline for minor party conventions to nominate supreme court candidates
• September 5: Deadline for major party conventions to nominate supreme court candidates
• November 4: General election

In addition to candidate lists, this page includes information about how the state's judicial elections work, as well as articles about noteworthy news in races across the state.

Want to learn more about the biggest judicial elections in Michigan in 2014? Check out the Michigan Supreme Court elections, 2014 page for an in-depth exploration of the candidates, issues, politics and news surrounding the state's high court races.

General election: Contested races

(I) denotes incumbent

Supreme Court, 2-year term

• David Viviano (I), 61.7%A
• Deborah Thomas, 28.7%A
• Kerry L. Morgan, 9.6%A

Supreme Court, 8-year term (2 seats)

• Brian Zahra (I), 32.2%%A
• Doug Dern, 4%A
• James Robert Redford, 20.1%A
• Richard Bernstein, 28.9%A
• William B. Murphy, 14.2%A

6th Circuit Court, Seat 1

• Karen Geibel, 34.4%A
• Lisa Langton, 65.6%A

14th Circuit Court, Seat 1

• Brenda E. Sprader, 37.1%A
• Kathy Hoogstra (I), 62.9%A

16th Circuit Court, Seat 1

• James Maceroni, 56.2%A
• Steve Fox, 43.8%A

19th Circuit Court, Seat 1

• David A. Thompson (Michigan), 61.2%A
• George Saylor, 38.8%A

22nd Circuit Court, Seat 1

• Pat Conlin, 52.5%A
• Veronique Liem, 47.5%A

33rd Circuit Court, Seat 1

• Mary Beth Kur, 41.1%A
• Roy C. Hayes III, 58.9%A

35th Circuit Court, Seat 1

• Deana M. Finnegan, 48.8%A
• Matt Stewart, 51.2%A

37th Circuit Court, Seat 1

• James L. Dyer, 40.9%A
• Sarah Lincoln, 59.1%A

46th Circuit Court, Seat 1

• George Mertz (I), 70.8%A
• Michael T. Edwards, 29.2%A

49th Circuit Court, Seat 1

• Eric D. Williams, 48.8%A
• Kimberly L. Booher, 51.2%A

51st Circuit Court, Seat 1

• Paul R. Spaniola, 46.4%A
• Susan K. Sniegowski, 53.6%A

52nd Circuit Court, Seat 1

• Gerald M. Prill, 54%A
• Timothy J. Rutkowski, 46%A

1st District Court, Seat 1

• Jarod Michael Calkins, 58.9%A
• Mark Braunlich (I), 41.1%A

2A District Court, Seat 1

• Jonathan Poer, 59.6%A
• Anna Marie Anzalone, 40.4%A

2B District Court, Seat 1

• Neal A. Brady, 44.9%A
• Sara Lisznyai, 55.1%A

Berrien County Trial Court, 5th District Court-Seat 1

• Donna Bacolor Howard, 52.5%A
• Stephen Smith (Michigan), 47.5%A

19th District Court, Seat 1

• Mark Somers (I), 50.2%A
• Tony Guerriero, 49.8%A

23rd District Court, Seat 1

• Joseph D. Slaven, 53.9%A
• Warren Waterman, 46.1%A

25th District Court, Seat 1

• Greg Clifton, 58.2%A
• Nicholas Tsalis, 41.8%A

28th District Court, Seat 1

• James A. Kandrevas (I), 53%A
• John Graziani, 47%A

32A Judicial District Court, Seat 1

• Daniel S. Palmer, 53.9%A
• Susan L. Dunn, 46.1%A

34th District Court, Seat 1

• David M. Parrott (I), 57.9%A
• Lisa Martin, 42.1%A

37th District Court, Seat 1

• Dean Ausilio (I), 42.1%A
• Suzanne Faunce, 57.9%A

45A District Court, Seat 1

• Dale Schneider, 32.9%A
• James L. Wittenburg (I), 67.1%A

48th District Court, Seat 1

• Kevin Kevelighan, 31.8%A
• Kimberly Small (I), 68.2%A

51st District Court, Seat 1

• Patrick J. Bagley, 23.9%A
• Richard Kuhn (I), 76.1%A

52nd District Court, Division 1

• Brian MacKenzie (I), 49.8%A
• Travis M. Reeds, 50.2%A

52nd District Court, Division 4

• Maureen M. McGinnis, 55.2%A
• Mike Bosnic, 44.8%A

53rd District Court, Seat 1

• Dennis Brewer, 42.7%A
• Theresa Brennan (I), 57.3%A

63rd District Court, Seat 1

• Brent Boncher, 46%A
• Jeffery J. O'Hara, 54%A

64B District Court, Seat 1

• Donald R. Hemingsen (I), 67.3%A
• Kathleen M. Dunne, 32.7%A

65A District Court, Seat 1

• Michael Edward Clarizio, 55.1%A
• Shannon Schlegel, 44.9%A

67th District Court, 2nd Division

• Jennifer Manley, 54.8%A
• Matthew D. Karr, 45.2%A

77th District Court, Seat 1

• James J. Sims II, 33.2%A
• Peter M. Jaklevic, 66.8%A

84th District Court, Seat 1

• Anthony Badovinac, 41.7%A
• Audrey Van Alst (I), 58.3%A

94th District Court, Seat 1

• John Economopoulos, 48.3%A
• Steve Parks, 51.7%A

Kalamazoo County Probate, Seat 1

• Namita Sharma, 44.1%A
• Tiffany A. Ankley, 55.9%A

Monroe County Probate Court, Seat 1

• Cheryl Lohmeyer (I), 54.4%A
• Jill LaVoy, 45.6%A

Saginaw County Probate Court, Seat 1

• Barbara Meter, 56.6%A
• Kent Greenfelder, 43.4%A

Washtenaw County Probate Court, Seat 1

• Julia B. Owdziej (I), 54.3%A
• Tracy Van den Bergh, 45.7%A

Wayne County Probate Court, Seat 1

• David Braxton, 72.5%A
• Rohn H. Mitchell, 27.5%A

General election: Uncontested

The following candidates were elected or re-elected after running unopposed in the general election.

Appellate courts

Court	Candidate
Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
Fourth District Court of Appeals	Amy Krause
First District Court of Appeals	Christopher Murray
Second District Court of Appeals	Henry Saad
Third District Court of Appeals	Jane Markey
First District Court of Appeals	Karen Fort Hood
Third District Court of Appeals	Mark Boonstra
Second District Court of Appeals	Mark Cavanagh
Fourth District Court of Appeals	Michael J. Kelly (Michigan)
First District Court of Appeals	Michael Talbot
Fourth District Court of Appeals	Patrick Meter

Trial courts

Court	Candidate
Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically.
70th District Court	A.T. Frank
3rd Circuit Court	Alexis Glendening
81st District Court	Allen C. Yenior
5th Circuit Court	Amy McDowell
5th District Court	Arthur Cotter
7th District Court	Arthur H. Clarke, III
92nd District Court	Beth Gibson
58th District Court	Bradley S. Knoll
36th District Court	Brenda Karen Sanders
3A Judicial District Court	Brent R. Weigle
37th Circuit Court	Brian Kirkham
40th Circuit Court	Byron Konschuh
38th District Court	Carl F. Gerds, III
3rd Circuit Court	Catherine Heise
3rd Circuit Court	Charlene Elder
43rd District Court	Charles Goedert
14B Judicial District Court	Charles Pope
12th Circuit Court	Charles R. Goodman
3rd Circuit Court	Charles S. Hegarty
17th District Court	Charlotte Wirth
3rd Circuit Court	Christopher Dingell
15th District Court	Christopher S. Easthope
95B District Court	Christopher S. Ninomiya
3rd Circuit Court	Connie Marie Kelley
3rd Circuit Court	Craig Strong
72nd District Court	Cynthia Platzer
50th District Court	Cynthia Thomas Walker
Oakland County Probate Court	Daniel A. O'Brien
3rd Circuit Court	Daniel Arthur Hathaway
31st Circuit Court	Daniel Kelly
82nd District Court	Daniel L. Sutton
38th Circuit Court	Daniel S. White
17th Circuit Court	Daniel Zemaitis
3rd Circuit Court	Daphne Curtis
12th District Court	Darryl Mazur
3rd Circuit Court	David Allen (Michigan)
Huron County Probate Court	David B. Herrington
61st District Court	David Buter
67th District Court	David Goggins
45B District Court	David M. Gubow
Kent County Probate Court	David M. Murkowski
36th District Court	David Perkins
22nd Circuit Court	David Swartz
74th District Court	Dawn A. Klida
36th District Court	Demetria Brue
42nd District Court	Denis LeDuc
16th Circuit Court	Diane Druzinski
24th Circuit Court	Donald Teeple
3rd Circuit Court	Edward Joseph
Chippewa County Probate Court	Elizabeth Biolette Church
St. Clair County Probate Court	Elwood L. Brown
76th District Court	Eric R. Janes
36th District Court	Esther Lynise Bryant-Weekes
Monroe County Probate Court	Frank Arnold
10th District Court	Franklin Line
9th Circuit Court	Gary Giguere Jr.
Kalamazoo County Probate Court	Gerald Scott Pierangeli
Sanilac County Probate Court	Gregory S. Ross
78th District Court	H. Kevin Drake
60th District Court	Harold Closz
35th Judicial District Court	James A. Plakas
6th Circuit Court	James Alexander
47th District Court	James B. Brady
33rd District Court	James Kurt Kersten
90th District Court	James N. Erhart
30th Circuit Court	Janelle Lawless
3B District Court	Jeffrey C. Middleton
36th Circuit Court	Jeffrey Dufon
95A District Court	Jeffrey G. Barstow
56th Circuit Court	Jeffrey Sauter
Genesee County Probate Court	Jennie E. Barkey
16th Circuit Court	Jennifer Faunce
25th Circuit Court	Jennifer Mazzuchi
10th District Court	John A. Hallacy
16th Circuit Court	John Foster
7th Circuit Court	John Gadola
3rd Circuit Court	John Gillis
4th Circuit Court	John McBain
24th District Court	John T. Courtright
20th Circuit Court	Jon Hulsing
39th District Court	Joseph Boedeker
52nd District Court	Joseph G. Fabrizio
40th District Court	Joseph Oster
57th District Court	Joseph S. Skocelas
18th Circuit Court	Joseph Sheeran
80th District Court	Joshua M. Farrell
Wayne County Probate Court	Judy A. Hartsfield
56A District Court	Julie H. Reincke
8th District Court	Julie K. Phillips
52nd District Court	Julie Nicholson
17th Circuit Court	Kathleen Feeney
Macomb County Probate Court	Kathryn A. George
36th District Court	Kenneth J. King (Michigan)
48th Circuit Court	Kevin W. Cronin
71B District Court	Kim David Glaspie
61st District Court	Kimberly A. Schaefer
71A District Court	Laura Cheger Barnard
3rd Circuit Court	Lawrence Talon
41B District Court	Linda Davis (Michigan)
Wayne County Probate Court	Lisa Marie Neilson
6th Circuit Court	Lisa Ortlieb Gorcyca
3rd Circuit Court	Lynne A. Pierce
70th District Court	M.T. Thompson
Berrien County Trial Court	Mabel Johnson Mayfield
39th Circuit Court	Margaret Murray-Scholz Noe
3rd Circuit Court	Margaret Van Houten
89th District Court	Maria I. Barton
60th District Court	Maria Ladas Hoopes
18th District Court	Mark A. McConnell
97th District Court	Mark A. Wisti
93rd District Court	Mark E. Luoma
20th District Court	Mark J. Plawecki
67th District Court	Mark McCabe
6th Circuit Court	Martha Anderson
3rd Circuit Court	Martha Snow
6th Circuit Court	Mary Ellen Brennan
16th Circuit Court	Matthew Switalski
3rd Circuit Court	Megan Brennan
42nd Circuit Court	Michael Beale
37th District Court	Michael C. Chupa
50th District Court	Michael C. Martinez
72nd District Court	Michael Carpenter (Michigan)
36th District Court	Michael E. Wagner
26th Circuit Court	Michael G. Mack
86th District Court	Michael Haley
12th District Court	Michael Klaeren
41A District Court	Michael Maceroni
1st Circuit Court	Michael R. Smith (Michigan)
7th Circuit Court	Michael Theile
45B District Court	Michelle Friedman Appel
6th Circuit Court	Nanci Grant
36th District Court	Nancy Blount (Michigan)
68th District Court	Nathaniel C. Perry, III
62A District Court	Pablo Cortes
87A District Court	Patricia A. Morse
36th District Court	Patricia Jefferson
54A District Court	Patrick Cherry
15th Circuit Court	Patrick W. O'Grady
31st District Court	Paul Paruk
17th Circuit Court	Paul Sullivan
79th District Court	Peter J. Wadel
13th Circuit Court	Philip Rodgers
3rd Circuit Court	Qiana Lillard
29th Circuit Court	Randy Tahvonen
64A District Court	Raymond P. Voet
8th District Court	Richard A. Santoni
14A District Court	Richard Conlin
82nd District Court	Richard E. Noble
41st Circuit Court	Richard J. Celello
Ingham County Probate Court	Richard Joseph Garcia
21st District Court	Richard L. Hammer, Jr.
3rd Circuit Court	Richard Skutt
7th Circuit Court	Richard Yuille
8th District Court	Robert C. Kropf
10th Circuit Court	Robert Kaczmarek
96th District Court	Roger W. Kangas
36th District Court	Ronald Giles
30th Circuit Court	Rosemarie Aquilina
32nd Circuit Court	Roy Gotham
6th Circuit Court	Rudy Nichols
63rd District Court	Sara Smolenski
2nd Circuit Court	Scott Schofield
16th District Court	Sean P. Kavanagh
6th Circuit Court	Shalina Kumar
36th District Court	Shannon A. Holmes
3rd Circuit Court	Shannon N. Walker
46th District Court	Shelia Johnson
4th District Court	Stacey A. Rentfrow
42nd Circuit Court	Stephen Carras
65B District Court	Stewart D. McDonald
58th District Court	Susan A. Jonas
8th Circuit Court	Suzanne Kreeger
Wayne County Probate Court	Terrance Keith
66th District Court	Terrance P. Dignan
44th District Court	Terrence Brennan
55th District Court	Thomas Boyd
3rd Circuit Court	Thomas Cameron
55th Circuit Court	Thomas Evans (Michigan)
68th District Court	Tracy Collier-Nix
3rd Circuit Court	Ulysses Boykin
67th District Court	Vikki Bayeh Haley
3rd Circuit Court	Vonda Evans
30th Circuit Court	William E. Collette
28th Circuit Court	William Fagerman
62B District Court	William G. Kelly
11th Circuit Court	William W. Carmody

Primary

For candidate lists and results from the judicial primary on August 5, 2014, please see: Michigan judicial primary elections, 2014.

Process

Judges in Michigan participate in nonpartisan elections.

If there are more than twice the number of candidates than there are persons to be elected, the race will appear on the primary election ballot. In the nonpartisan primary, the two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes advance to the general election.

If there are not more than twice the number of candidates than there are persons to be elected, the race will not appear on the primary election ballot, but only on the general election ballot.

For example, if there are three candidates running for one position, they will run in the primary and the two with the most votes will continue on to the general. If there are four candidates running for two positions on a court, they will only appear on the ballot for the general election. Candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court are nominated at party conventions in late summer.

Noteworthy events

The following articles were current as of the dates listed.

Party conventions choose Michigan Supreme Court candidates August 28, 2014

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See also: JP Election Brief: Florida primary results are in; supreme court races are heating up Three seats were up for grabs on the Michigan Supreme Court in 2014. Five candidates competed for two full eight-year terms. There was also one partial term (two years) available. Although judicial elections in Michigan are nonpartisan, supreme court candidates are chosen at party conventions. Justice Brian Zahra ran for his first full term on the court. He was appointed in 2011, and won the election in 2012 for a partial term. The Republican Party chose James Robert Redford, who is a judge on the 17th Circuit Court, as another candidate. At the Democratic convention, Richard Bernstein and Judge William B. Murphy of the Michigan Court of Appeals were selected as candidates. Attorney Doug Dern was the only non-major party candidate in that race. Justice David Viviano was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder in February 2013 to replace Diane Hathaway. He ran for election to serve out the remainder of Hathaway's term, which has an expiration date of 2016. His two opponents were the Democratic nominee, Judge Deborah Thomas of the 3rd Circuit Court, and attorney Kerry L. Morgan, a Libertarian. Morgan and Dern both ran for the supreme court in 2012 as well. In 2012, Michigan candidate committees reported spending $3,442,367, and the political parties and PACs reported $1,617,884 in independent expenditures. However, $13.85 million was spent on television issue ads focused on the supreme court candidates. This was paid for mostly by the two major parties, and was not reported to the Michigan Department of State.

Incumbent wins most votes in primary August 7, 2014

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See also: JP Election Brief: Pricey retention campaigns in Tennessee and Florida candidates in the news Judge Mark Braunlich filed for re-election to the Michigan's 1st District Court back in February 2014. In June, he was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the 38th Circuit Court. He took up the post on the circuit court, but it was too late to remove his name from the ballot as a candidate for the district court. Although he intended to keep his new circuit court judgeship, his name still remained on the primary election ballot on August 5, 2014. Braunlich received the most votes of the four candidates. Here's the breakdown of the received votes for each candidate: Judge Mark Braunlich: 36.6% (5,571) Jarod Michael Calkins: 29.2% (4,434) Michael Brown: 26.3% (4,003) Anthony R. Brescol: 7.9% (1,201) Since Braunlich received the most votes, he also appeared on the November 4th ballot for the general election. He ultimately lost to Jarod Michael Calkins.

Michigan Circuit Court races in the primary election July 24, 2014

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See also: JP Election Brief: Runoffs, retentions and a special election The primary election in Michigan took place on August 5. Candidates only run in the primary if there are more than two people running for one seat. The two candidates who receive the most votes continue on to the general election. The Michigan Circuit Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state; there are 57 circuits. In the primary election, there were six races for circuit court positions. In Washtenaw County, three candidates ran for retired Judge Donald Shelton's position on the 22nd Circuit Court. One of the candidates, Michael Woodyard, ran for a spot on the same court in 2012 and was defeated by Timothy Connors. Woodyard is an assistant prosecutor in Wayne County. Attorneys Veronique Liem and Pat Conlin also ran. Judge Richard Pajtas retired from the 33rd Circuit Court, located in Charlevoix County, in January 2015. This opening attracted five candidates. The candidates were Valerie K. Snyder, Mary Beth Kur, Tom Schraw, Roy C. Hayes III, and Edward F. Engstrom. A candidate forum took place on July 21 and four of the candidates were present to answer questions. About 70 people attended the forum. Another was held on Tuesday, July 29. Gerald Lostracco, the judge of the 35th Circuit Court in Shiawassee County, also retired at the end of his last term in 2014. Deana M. Finnegan, George Stevenson, and Matt Stewart ran for the judgeship in the primary. This was the first time the county had seen a new face on the circuit court bench since 1985. Eusebio Solis, Jr., James L. Dyer, and Sarah Lincoln were candidates for an open seat on the 37th Circuit Court in Calhoun County. Chief Judge James Kingsley retired from the bench. There was another race for the 51st Circuit Court, which covers the counties of Lake and Mason. The race was to replace judge Richard I. Cooper, who had been on the bench since 1979. The Mason County Press published interviews with each of the four candidates. Finally, in Huron County, there was a primary election for retiring Judge M. Richard Knoblock's position on the 52nd Circuit Court. The three candidates in this race were Jill L. Schmidt, Timothy J. Rutkowski, and Gerald M. Prill.

Only voters can decide if incumbents stay or go June 5, 2014

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In Michigan in 2014, 240 seats on the state's courts were up for election. Sixteen incumbent judges faced challengers. Kimberly Small, a judge on the 48th District Court in Bloomfield Hills, was mentioned in the Detroit Free Press for issuing relatively long sentences to first-time offenders convicted of drunk driving. A survey by the Detroit Free Press found that Small's sentences in such cases were longer than those handed down by other judges nationwide. In a written response, Small defended her sentencing practices, stating, "My focus is on protecting our families." Small was challenged in the election by Kevin Kevelighan, an attorney since 2000, who stated he would aim to apply more proportionate sentencing. Judge Brian MacKenzie of the 52nd District Court faced election opposition for the first time since 1988. Two candidates entered the race following reports of concerns about his conduct. In December 2013, prosecutors in Oakland County raised allegations that MacKenzie had mishandled domestic violence cases, improperly dismissed charges, and failed to maintain proper records. A circuit court judge was assigned to oversee his handling of such cases. In March 2014, the FBI reportedly reviewed a secret recording made by a defense attorney in which MacKenzie allegedly suggested that a defendant could receive a lighter sentence if they chose not to pursue a police misconduct complaint. In response to questions from the Detroit Free Press, MacKenzie pointed to his efforts to create treatment courts for substance abuse and veterans. He said, "I have a balanced temperament and more than two decades of experience." Travis Reeds, a private attorney and former law clerk for MacKenzie, said he entered the race because he believed he would serve the court well. Reeds stated he did not believe his former employer was upset by his decision to run. Another candidate, Scott Powers, took a more critical stance, saying he believed a change in leadership was needed. Powers’ father, Dennis Powers, also served as a judge on the same court. Judge James Kandrevas sought re-election to the 28th District Court in Southgate and faced two primary challengers: John Graziani and Bill Colovos, both members of the Southgate City Council. Both candidates expressed a desire for new leadership in the court. In 2010, two former court employees filed lawsuits against the court and Judge Kandrevas. One case settled for $50,000 and the other for $300,000. Kandrevas did not comment publicly on the lawsuits. However, at the time, city attorney Edward Zelenak described the claims as exaggerated but said settling was more cost-effective than prolonged litigation. Under Michigan's primary system, the top two candidates in each race advanced to the general election in November.

Wade McCree to run for re-election despite misconduct findings May 13, 2014

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See also: JP Election Brief: Close races, scandal and removal from the ballot Judge Wade McCree filed to run for re-election to his seat on Michigan's 3rd Circuit Court on February 21, 2014. Prior to filing for re-election, McCree was the subject of ongoing judicial discipline proceedings stemming from two incidents. In the first, McCree was censured by the state supreme court in 2012 for sending a topless photo of himself to a married court employee. A second matter arose when McCree admitted to a personal relationship with Geniene LaShay Mott, a party in a child support case before his court. McCree did not recuse himself from the case, and both he and Mott later confirmed that they had discussed the case outside of court and had engaged in a personal relationship, including in chambers. Following an investigation, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission recommended that McCree be removed from the bench, or, if re-elected, be suspended for six years without pay. On March 26, 2014, the Michigan Supreme Court formally removed McCree from the bench. For more information on the judge, see: Wade Harper McCree For a video containing parts of McCree's testimony before the Judicial Tenure Commission, see: My Fox Detroit, "The strange testimony of Judge Wade McCree," May 23, 2013

See also

• Michigan judicial elections
• Judicial selection in Michigan

External links

• Michigan.gov, "Elections"