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Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2020
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- Main articles: State judicial elections, 2020 and Local trial court judicial elections, 2020
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. In 2020, Ballotpedia covered the following local elections in this state:
- Wayne County, Michigan - County commissioners, prosecutor, treasurer, community college trustees, probate court judges, district court judges, and circuit court judges (1 special and 17 regular elections)
If the above list includes local trial court judgeships, click the links for more information about the elections. Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Ballotpedia did not cover all local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2020. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.
Election rules
Primary election
If there are more than twice the number of candidates than there are judgeships up for election, 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 amount 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.[1]
Judicial selection method
Circuit courts
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
The 221 judges of the Michigan Circuit Courts are selected in an identical manner, each serving six-year terms. They are chosen in nonpartisan elections and must face re-election if they wish to continue serving. Candidates are placed on the ballot via nonpartisan primaries or by nominating petitions.[2] Sitting judges who reach age 70 are allowed to serve out the remainder of their term.[3]
Selection of the chief judge
The chief judges of the circuit courts are appointed by the state supreme court to two-year terms.[2]
Qualifications
To be elected to either of these courts, a judge must:[2]
- 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; and
- be under the age of 70.
Probate courts
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
Judges of the Michigan Probate Courts are each elected to six-year terms.[4] The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a qualified elector of the district, licensed to practice law in the state, under the age of 70, and have five years of experience practicing law.
District courts
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
Judges of the Michigan District Courts are each elected to six-year terms.[5] The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a qualified elector of the district, licensed to practice law in the state, under the age of 70, and have five years of experience practicing law.
Additional elections
- See also: Michigan elections, 2020
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Twelve of 83 Michigan counties—14 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Bay County, Michigan | 12.55% | 5.56% | 15.31% | ||||
| Calhoun County, Michigan | 12.46% | 1.60% | 9.36% | ||||
| Eaton County, Michigan | 4.72% | 3.13% | 8.40% | ||||
| Gogebic County, Michigan | 14.80% | 8.10% | 17.27% | ||||
| Isabella County, Michigan | 3.66% | 9.28% | 19.26% | ||||
| Lake County, Michigan | 22.77% | 5.01% | 12.28% | ||||
| Macomb County, Michigan | 11.53% | 3.99% | 8.62% | ||||
| Manistee County, Michigan | 15.29% | 5.93% | 13.26% | ||||
| Monroe County, Michigan | 21.97% | 0.98% | 4.35% | ||||
| Saginaw County, Michigan | 1.13% | 11.89% | 17.34% | ||||
| Shiawassee County, Michigan | 19.59% | 3.67% | 8.59% | ||||
| Van Buren County, Michigan | 13.92% | 0.45% | 8.78% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Michigan with 47.5 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.3 percent. In presidential elections between 1836 and 2016, Michigan voted Republican 60.8 percent of the time and Democratic 34.7 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Michigan voted Democratic four out of the five elections.[6]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Michigan. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[7][8]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 53 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 37.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 43 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 39.3 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 57 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 12.4 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 67 out of 110 state House districts in Michigan with an average margin of victory of 21.2 points. Trump won eight districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 76.12% | 23.52% | D+52.6 | 74.49% | 22.85% | D+51.6 | D |
| 2 | 75.84% | 23.76% | D+52.1 | 74.45% | 22.64% | D+51.8 | D |
| 3 | 98.21% | 1.58% | D+96.6 | 96.30% | 2.42% | D+93.9 | D |
| 4 | 96.04% | 3.37% | D+92.7 | 92.77% | 5.06% | D+87.7 | D |
| 5 | 96.95% | 2.71% | D+94.2 | 93.33% | 4.83% | D+88.5 | D |
| 6 | 94.15% | 5.34% | D+88.8 | 90.29% | 7.44% | D+82.9 | D |
| 7 | 98.97% | 0.86% | D+98.1 | 96.95% | 1.74% | D+95.2 | D |
| 8 | 97.77% | 1.98% | D+95.8 | 95.72% | 2.90% | D+92.8 | D |
| 9 | 96.42% | 3.28% | D+93.1 | 93.92% | 4.34% | D+89.6 | D |
| 10 | 83.03% | 16.36% | D+66.7 | 80.28% | 16.66% | D+63.6 | D |
| 11 | 69.83% | 29.28% | D+40.6 | 60.65% | 34.79% | D+25.9 | D |
| 12 | 69.66% | 29.46% | D+40.2 | 56.96% | 38.90% | D+18.1 | D |
| 13 | 58.70% | 40.26% | D+18.4 | 47.99% | 46.73% | D+1.3 | D |
| 14 | 63.97% | 34.90% | D+29.1 | 50.54% | 44.29% | D+6.2 | D |
| 15 | 65.45% | 33.49% | D+32 | 62.76% | 31.92% | D+30.8 | D |
| 16 | 65.88% | 33.26% | D+32.6 | 56.06% | 38.69% | D+17.4 | D |
| 17 | 53.64% | 45.27% | D+8.4 | 38.41% | 56.34% | R+17.9 | R |
| 18 | 58.28% | 40.69% | D+17.6 | 50.48% | 44.92% | D+5.6 | D |
| 19 | 47.24% | 51.98% | R+4.7 | 43.64% | 51.18% | R+7.5 | R |
| 20 | 47.63% | 51.76% | R+4.1 | 49.30% | 45.76% | D+3.5 | R |
| 21 | 55.97% | 43.27% | D+12.7 | 54.96% | 40.68% | D+14.3 | D |
| 22 | 62.75% | 36.16% | D+26.6 | 50.97% | 44.23% | D+6.7 | D |
| 23 | 51.61% | 47.53% | D+4.1 | 41.73% | 53.84% | R+12.1 | D |
| 24 | 48.16% | 51.15% | R+3 | 40.03% | 55.91% | R+15.9 | R |
| 25 | 51.35% | 47.82% | D+3.5 | 42.94% | 52.49% | R+9.6 | D |
| 26 | 58.60% | 40.29% | D+18.3 | 56.27% | 37.48% | D+18.8 | D |
| 27 | 74.32% | 24.77% | D+49.6 | 71.48% | 23.39% | D+48.1 | D |
| 28 | 63.19% | 35.81% | D+27.4 | 54.82% | 40.99% | D+13.8 | D |
| 29 | 75.48% | 23.86% | D+51.6 | 69.48% | 26.66% | D+42.8 | D |
| 30 | 47.68% | 51.54% | R+3.9 | 39.34% | 57.11% | R+17.8 | R |
| 31 | 57.26% | 41.80% | D+15.5 | 47.27% | 48.11% | R+0.8 | D |
| 32 | 45.10% | 53.91% | R+8.8 | 30.78% | 64.53% | R+33.8 | R |
| 33 | 43.07% | 56.18% | R+13.1 | 32.28% | 63.80% | R+31.5 | R |
| 34 | 91.05% | 8.32% | D+82.7 | 85.10% | 12.15% | D+73 | D |
| 35 | 81.97% | 17.64% | D+64.3 | 81.81% | 15.71% | D+66.1 | D |
| 36 | 38.24% | 61.04% | R+22.8 | 30.40% | 65.42% | R+35 | R |
| 37 | 59.10% | 40.27% | D+18.8 | 60.06% | 35.59% | D+24.5 | D |
| 38 | 45.76% | 53.61% | R+7.9 | 45.77% | 49.43% | R+3.7 | R |
| 39 | 47.87% | 51.46% | R+3.6 | 45.98% | 49.67% | R+3.7 | R |
| 40 | 46.75% | 52.82% | R+6.1 | 53.61% | 42.72% | D+10.9 | R |
| 41 | 47.73% | 51.57% | R+3.8 | 48.35% | 46.97% | D+1.4 | R |
| 42 | 39.08% | 60.20% | R+21.1 | 35.20% | 59.46% | R+24.3 | R |
| 43 | 44.30% | 54.75% | R+10.5 | 37.46% | 56.79% | R+19.3 | R |
| 44 | 40.04% | 59.10% | R+19.1 | 33.95% | 60.71% | R+26.8 | R |
| 45 | 43.50% | 55.87% | R+12.4 | 43.89% | 51.48% | R+7.6 | R |
| 46 | 38.96% | 60.14% | R+21.2 | 33.28% | 61.11% | R+27.8 | R |
| 47 | 36.64% | 62.49% | R+25.9 | 29.62% | 65.24% | R+35.6 | R |
| 48 | 58.92% | 39.84% | D+19.1 | 42.94% | 51.79% | R+8.9 | D |
| 49 | 70.36% | 28.78% | D+41.6 | 62.12% | 33.46% | D+28.7 | D |
| 50 | 56.32% | 42.74% | D+13.6 | 47.23% | 47.93% | R+0.7 | D |
| 51 | 45.91% | 53.06% | R+7.1 | 35.38% | 58.95% | R+23.6 | R |
| 52 | 51.66% | 47.46% | D+4.2 | 52.00% | 42.81% | D+9.2 | D |
| 53 | 79.38% | 19.51% | D+59.9 | 84.00% | 11.95% | D+72.1 | D |
| 54 | 75.10% | 23.79% | D+51.3 | 72.03% | 23.05% | D+49 | D |
| 55 | 67.37% | 31.61% | D+35.8 | 68.76% | 26.59% | D+42.2 | D |
| 56 | 48.37% | 50.57% | R+2.2 | 35.50% | 59.23% | R+23.7 | R |
| 57 | 49.04% | 49.87% | R+0.8 | 36.78% | 57.21% | R+20.4 | R |
| 58 | 38.71% | 60.10% | R+21.4 | 26.28% | 68.98% | R+42.7 | R |
| 59 | 44.29% | 54.72% | R+10.4 | 32.68% | 61.96% | R+29.3 | R |
| 60 | 72.01% | 26.83% | D+45.2 | 69.41% | 24.00% | D+45.4 | D |
| 61 | 50.04% | 49.13% | D+0.9 | 49.18% | 44.85% | D+4.3 | R |
| 62 | 55.24% | 43.75% | D+11.5 | 46.21% | 48.51% | R+2.3 | R |
| 63 | 44.40% | 54.59% | R+10.2 | 36.73% | 57.51% | R+20.8 | R |
| 64 | 47.70% | 51.23% | R+3.5 | 39.65% | 54.58% | R+14.9 | R |
| 65 | 45.58% | 53.37% | R+7.8 | 34.34% | 59.82% | R+25.5 | R |
| 66 | 49.22% | 49.68% | R+0.5 | 40.21% | 53.57% | R+13.4 | R |
| 67 | 54.11% | 44.79% | D+9.3 | 48.13% | 45.14% | D+3 | D |
| 68 | 74.22% | 24.64% | D+49.6 | 69.86% | 24.09% | D+45.8 | D |
| 69 | 63.28% | 35.87% | D+27.4 | 65.25% | 29.76% | D+35.5 | D |
| 70 | 46.16% | 52.60% | R+6.4 | 31.66% | 61.85% | R+30.2 | R |
| 71 | 51.63% | 47.28% | D+4.4 | 45.73% | 48.08% | R+2.4 | R |
| 72 | 42.84% | 56.25% | R+13.4 | 42.15% | 51.76% | R+9.6 | R |
| 73 | 38.17% | 60.92% | R+22.8 | 38.73% | 55.53% | R+16.8 | R |
| 74 | 38.55% | 60.36% | R+21.8 | 34.41% | 58.80% | R+24.4 | R |
| 75 | 74.68% | 23.76% | D+50.9 | 72.00% | 20.81% | D+51.2 | D |
| 76 | 54.72% | 44.21% | D+10.5 | 56.22% | 36.96% | D+19.3 | D |
| 77 | 40.65% | 58.32% | R+17.7 | 39.18% | 54.16% | R+15 | R |
| 78 | 42.78% | 56.14% | R+13.4 | 35.48% | 58.95% | R+23.5 | R |
| 79 | 47.82% | 51.46% | R+3.6 | 43.78% | 51.52% | R+7.7 | R |
| 80 | 41.20% | 57.64% | R+16.4 | 34.03% | 59.93% | R+25.9 | R |
| 81 | 43.91% | 55.01% | R+11.1 | 29.26% | 65.68% | R+36.4 | R |
| 82 | 43.67% | 55.14% | R+11.5 | 28.22% | 66.56% | R+38.3 | R |
| 83 | 46.42% | 52.52% | R+6.1 | 33.33% | 60.79% | R+27.5 | R |
| 84 | 43.28% | 55.59% | R+12.3 | 28.81% | 66.70% | R+37.9 | R |
| 85 | 49.88% | 48.85% | D+1 | 35.62% | 57.97% | R+22.4 | R |
| 86 | 36.01% | 62.99% | R+27 | 34.93% | 58.61% | R+23.7 | R |
| 87 | 40.02% | 58.70% | R+18.7 | 30.07% | 63.54% | R+33.5 | R |
| 88 | 26.40% | 72.87% | R+46.5 | 25.79% | 68.49% | R+42.7 | R |
| 89 | 37.56% | 61.56% | R+24 | 36.28% | 57.85% | R+21.6 | R |
| 90 | 32.62% | 66.46% | R+33.8 | 32.75% | 60.91% | R+28.2 | R |
| 91 | 50.46% | 48.46% | D+2 | 39.61% | 54.18% | R+14.6 | R |
| 92 | 67.85% | 31.32% | D+36.5 | 58.17% | 36.52% | D+21.7 | D |
| 93 | 46.26% | 52.90% | R+6.6 | 38.97% | 55.17% | R+16.2 | R |
| 94 | 43.56% | 55.67% | R+12.1 | 37.44% | 57.65% | R+20.2 | R |
| 95 | 74.44% | 24.76% | D+49.7 | 66.46% | 29.76% | D+36.7 | D |
| 96 | 53.72% | 45.31% | D+8.4 | 43.05% | 51.44% | R+8.4 | D |
| 97 | 45.55% | 53.21% | R+7.7 | 30.25% | 65.08% | R+34.8 | R |
| 98 | 43.01% | 56.04% | R+13 | 37.35% | 55.97% | R+18.6 | R |
| 99 | 50.75% | 48.05% | D+2.7 | 40.94% | 52.83% | R+11.9 | R |
| 100 | 43.36% | 55.52% | R+12.2 | 30.44% | 64.16% | R+33.7 | R |
| 101 | 48.22% | 50.74% | R+2.5 | 40.48% | 53.98% | R+13.5 | R |
| 102 | 42.55% | 56.27% | R+13.7 | 30.87% | 63.45% | R+32.6 | R |
| 103 | 42.90% | 55.90% | R+13 | 28.62% | 66.46% | R+37.8 | R |
| 104 | 43.58% | 55.39% | R+11.8 | 40.74% | 53.27% | R+12.5 | R |
| 105 | 40.35% | 58.47% | R+18.1 | 31.11% | 63.83% | R+32.7 | R |
| 106 | 45.20% | 53.57% | R+8.4 | 32.06% | 63.22% | R+31.2 | R |
| 107 | 43.34% | 55.54% | R+12.2 | 35.33% | 58.84% | R+23.5 | R |
| 108 | 44.37% | 54.58% | R+10.2 | 32.79% | 62.29% | R+29.5 | R |
| 109 | 53.29% | 45.44% | D+7.9 | 44.75% | 48.82% | R+4.1 | D |
| 110 | 47.04% | 51.62% | R+4.6 | 37.59% | 56.55% | R+19 | D |
| Total | 54.30% | 44.79% | D+9.5 | 47.36% | 47.59% | R+0.2 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
| Local courts | Michigan | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|
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 |
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Footnotes
- ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Michigan Election Law, Section 168.540," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Michigan," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Daily, "Washtenaw County judge announces early retirement," May 1, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, "Judge of the Probate Court," accessed July 29, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Courts, "Michigan Trial Courts," accessed April 3, 2017
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Michigan," accessed June 29, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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
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