Rebekah Coleman

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Rebekah Coleman

Nonpartisan

Michigan 32A District Court

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

4

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Michigan State University, 2007

Graduate

University of Detroit Mercy, 2014

Law

Wayne State University Law School, 2010

Personal

Birthplace

Detroit, Mich.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Rebekah Coleman is a judge of the Michigan 32A District Court. She assumed office on January 1, 2021. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Coleman ran for election for judge of the Michigan 32A District Court. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Coleman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Coleman is a former candidate for the 3rd Circuit Court in Michigan. Coleman was defeated in the primary election on August 2, 2016.

Biography

Coleman was born on December 1, 1985, in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in 2007. She went on to obtain her master's degree from the University of Detroit Mercy in 2014. She also received her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in 2010. Coleman's professional experience includes working as an attorney and owning an online retail business.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Wayne County, Michigan (2020)

General election

General election for Michigan 32A District Court

Rebekah Coleman defeated incumbent Daniel S. Palmer in the general election for Michigan 32A District Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rebekah Coleman (Nonpartisan)	53.1	3,798
		Daniel S. Palmer (Nonpartisan)	46.9	3,351

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,149
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Daniel S. Palmer and Rebekah Coleman advanced from the primary for Michigan 32A District Court.

Endorsements

To view Coleman's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

2016

See also: Michigan local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Michigan held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election occurred on August 2, 2016. The candidate filing deadline for incumbents was March 21, and the deadline for non-incumbents was April 19. The following candidates ran in the 3rd Circuit primary election (4 open seats).

3rd Circuit, 4 open seats, Primary Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Wanda Evans	9.55%	46,406
Thomas Hathaway	9.08%	44,086
Melissa Cox	7.89%	38,310
Brian L. Morrow	5.65%	27,465
Kelly Ann Ramsey	5.59%	27,154
Robert Ficano	5.15%	25,040
Matthew Evans	5.10%	24,782
Regina Thomas	5.01%	24,332
Tracy Green	4.79%	23,284
Felicia Courtright	4.65%	22,570
Kenneth J. King	4.64%	22,516
Suzette Samuels	4.60%	22,339
Isaac Robinson	4.26%	20,689
Karyn Macdonald	3.66%	17,758
Michelle Letourneau-McAvoy	3.52%	17,109
James Humphries	3.29%	15,978
Esther Lynise Bryant-Weekes	3.18%	15,471
Delicia Coleman	3.18%	15,443
Ron Robinson	2.57%	12,498
Rebekah Coleman	2.51%	12,209
Michael Woodyard	2.13%	10,342
Total Votes		485,781
Source: Michigan Department of State, "Official Primary Results," August 23, 2016

Selection method

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. Sitting judges who reach age 70 are allowed to serve out the remainder of their term.

Selection of the chief judge

The chief judges of the circuit courts are appointed by the state supreme court to two-year terms.

Qualifications
To be elected to either of these courts, 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; and
• be under the age of 70.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rebekah Coleman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Coleman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have served thousands of clients throughout the State of Michigan since the commencement of my legal career. I established a general practice law firm and gained expertise in many areas of law, some being criminal, bankruptcy, landlord tenant, probate, civil, and family law. I have helped over 500 individuals gain financial freedom through Chapter 7 bankruptcies and have represented thousands of criminal defendants, both appointed and retained in Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw and Macomb counties. Through many hours of trial preparation, I have obtained a profound knowledge of our legal system which enables me to make unbiased, factual rulings ensuring that justice is equitably served. At an early age, I knew that practicing law would be a critical part of my mission to provide justice to my community. Growing up in a legal family, with a mother as an attorney and a father as a judge, I witnessed firsthand the value of having proper representation in legal matters. This foundation solidified the values, which I have carried throughout my private and professional life. Family, Fairness, Mission, and Community are the values that I practice and live by!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• It's Time to Change the Harper Woods Judiciary to help the community.
• Aggressively going after funding in order to establish programs and services needed in order to help individuals appearing before the Court.
• Bridging the gap between the community and the Court.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Legal Aid for all

Eliminating judicial rubber stamping

Community Court

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Judge Deborah Thomas of the 3rd Circuit Court. She is a great example of a public servant. She goes across the state making sure that individuals are properly educated on expungement laws. She also believes in fairness and if she sees injustices occurring, she will confront the issue and makes sure it is resolved properly.

I think she is an amazing judge and person and I strive to follow in the path that she has set out.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Judges are called upon to make decisions in contested matters. To do this I will always begin with an open mind, listen to all sides, give consideration to all of the information submitted to me, assess the credibility of all information, and use my best wisdom to apply the law to the facts as I find them to be.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Once elected I will be the first woman to serve as judge of the 32A District Court. This is a historical moment for the city of Harper Woods! I will also bring the services that are needed in the Judiciary that will help people reach their fullest potential.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Foot Book - Dr. Seuss

It is my favorite book because it was the first book that I read on my own.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Storm

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Thank You for It All - Marvin Sapp

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

Detroit Bar Association - Well Qualified
Wolverine Bar Association - Well Qualified

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running for this particular seat because I believe I can help bring the 32A District Court into the 21st Century by enhancing the technology of the court so that the website is more user friendly for the residents and lawyers. I will bring more programs to the court such as literacy programs, drug treatment, and other alternative sentencing programs that actually address the underlying issues and/or contributing factors to crimes so that we can help people actually become productive members of society and not repeat offenders. I will bring competent legal aid to the court because all people deserve to have legal representation and not just those facing criminal matters. Lastly, I will have more community engagement by having community court in various community arenas once it is safe to do so. I will work to accomplish these goals by aggressively going after grants and other funding that are available for the various programs that are needed at the Court.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

Yes, I would like to be appointed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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External links

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Candidate

Michigan 32A District Court

Website

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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