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Noah Hood
2025 - Present
2027
0
Noah Hood (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Michigan Supreme Court. He assumed office on May 21, 2025. His current term ends on January 1, 2027.
Hood ran in a special election for judge of the Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals. He won in the special general election on November 8, 2022.
Hood first became a member of the Michigan Supreme Court through an appointment. Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer (D) first appointed him to the court in 2025 to the seat vacated by Elizabeth Clement (R). To learn more about this appointment, click here.[1]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) appointed Hood to the Michigan Court of Appeals on February 3, 2022, to replace Karen Fort Hood.[2][3]
Hood previously served on the Michigan 3rd Circuit Court from 2019 to 2022. He was appointed to the court to succeed former Judge Connie Marie Kelley following her retirement.[4]
Biography
Noah Hood's career experience includes working as an assistant United States Attorney with the Eastern District of Michigan.[4]
Elections
2022
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
General election
Special general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals
Incumbent Noah Hood won election in the special general election for Michigan 1st District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Noah Hood (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 522,016 |
| Total votes: 522,016 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Wayne County, Michigan (2020)
General election
General election for Michigan 3rd Circuit Court (15 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Michigan 3rd Circuit Court on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Allen (Nonpartisan) | 8.1 | 277,129 | |
| ✔ | Christopher Dingell (Nonpartisan) | 7.9 | 270,736 | |
| ✔ |  | Mariam Bazzi (Nonpartisan) | 7.2 | 247,759 |
| ✔ |  | Cylenthia LaToye Miller (Nonpartisan) | 7.1 | 245,117 |
| ✔ |  | Shannon N. Walker (Nonpartisan) | 7.1 | 244,178 |
| ✔ | | Noah Hood (Nonpartisan) | 7.0 | 240,683 |
| ✔ | Charlene Elder (Nonpartisan) | 6.8 | 234,985 | |
| ✔ |  | Lynne A. Pierce (Nonpartisan) | 6.5 | 223,044 |
| ✔ | Margaret Van Houten (Nonpartisan) | 6.4 | 220,718 | |
| ✔ | John H. Gillis Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 6.3 | 217,125 | |
| ✔ | Edward Joseph (Nonpartisan) | 6.1 | 210,308 | |
| ✔ | Don Knapp (Nonpartisan) | 6.1 | 208,467 | |
| ✔ | Helal Farhat (Nonpartisan) | 6.1 | 208,083 | |
| ✔ | Carla Testani (Nonpartisan) | 5.8 | 199,957 | |
| ✔ | Lawrence Talon (Nonpartisan) | 5.4 | 187,229 | |
| Total votes: 3,435,518 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Noah Hood did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Noah Hood did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Appointments
2025
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) appointed Noah Hood to the Michigan Supreme Court on April 23, 2025.[5] Hood replaces Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, who retired on April 15, 2025. In her retirement announcement, Clement announced she would leave the court to become the president of the National Center for State Courts.[6][7] Hood is Governor Whitmer's second nominee to the seven-member supreme court. Hood was sworn in on May 21, 2025.
Even though, at the time of her retirement, Clement was the chief justice of the court, her successor will not be appointed as the chief justice. In Michigan and 22 other states, the chief justice is chosen through a chamber vote. In a March 2025 vote, the Michigan Supreme Court elected Megan Cavanagh to serve as the chief justice to succeed Clement following her retirement.[7] To learn more about how chief justices are chosen in state supreme courts, click here.
In Michigan, state supreme court justices are selected through the Michigan method. Justices are elected through nonpartisan elections. The candidates in the nonpartisan selection are chosen through partisan primaries or conventions. This is the only state using this selection method. To read more about this type of election method, click here.
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a temporary replacement to serve until the next general election. At the governor's request, the state bar's standing committee on judicial qualifications interviews, evaluates, and rates all candidates, submitting a confidential report to the governor. However, the governor is not required to request candidates from the committee, nor is the governor bound by the committee's evaluations.[8]
State supreme court judicial selection in Michigan
- See also: Judicial selection in Michigan
The seven justices of the Michigan Supreme Court are chosen by the Michigan method in which a partisan nomination is followed by nonpartisan elections.[9] Incumbent judges seeking re-election may file an affidavit of candidacy requesting to be placed on the ballot, while non-incumbent candidates must either file a nominating petition or obtain a partisan nomination at a party convention. Incumbency is noted on the ballot, though party affiliation is not. Judges serve eight-year terms and must be re-elected if they wish to remain on the court.[8]
Qualifications
To be elected to the supreme court, a judge must:
- be a qualified elector;
- be licensed to practice law in the state;
- have at least five years of law practice experience;
- be under the age of 70.[8]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the court is elected by his or her fellow justices and serves a two-year term[8]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a temporary replacement to serve until the next general election. At the governor's request, the state bar's standing committee on judicial qualifications interviews, evaluates, and rates all candidates, submitting a confidential report to the governor. However, the governor is not required to request candidates from the committee, nor is the governor bound by the committee's evaluations.[8]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Executive Office of the Governor, “Governor Whitmer Makes Appointments to the Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Court of Appeals" accessed June 13, 2025
- ↑ The Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, "Governor Whitmer Makes Appointments to Michigan Court of Appeals," February 3, 2022
- ↑ Twitter, "Judge Noah P. Hood," March 7, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, "Gov. Whitmer Makes Appointments to 3rd Circuit Court," March 28, 2019
- ↑ Click on Detroit, "Gov. Whitmer makes appointments to Michigan Supreme Court, Court of Appeals," April 23, 2025
- ↑ One Court of Justice Michigan, "Statement from Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth T. Clement," February 19, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Michigan Advance, "Cavanagh now officially Michigan’s chief justice after Clement departs," April 17, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 27, 2021
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Michigan," archived October 2, 2014
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
