Sima Patel
Sima Patel is a judge of the Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals. She assumed office on March 1, 2022. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.
Patel is running for re-election for judge of the Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals. She declared candidacy for the primary scheduled on August 4, 2026.[source]
Elections
2026
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on August 4, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals (2 seats)
Incumbent Sima Patel (Nonpartisan) and incumbent Christopher Trebilcock (Nonpartisan) are running in the primary for Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals on August 4, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Sima Patel (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Christopher Trebilcock (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2022
See also: Michigan intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
General election
Special general election for Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals
Incumbent Sima Patel defeated Michael D. Warren Jr. in the special general election for Michigan 2nd District Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sima Patel (Nonpartisan) | 56.7 | 467,524 |
 | Michael D. Warren Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 43.3 | 356,424 | |
| Total votes: 823,948 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign finance
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2022
Sima Patel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Patel's responses.
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- An unparalleled track record.
- Breaking barriers.
- Protecting the rule of law.
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.
Campaign finance summary
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Noteworthy Cases
Michigan Senate v. Michigan House of Representatives (2025)
On Feb. 3, 2025, the Michigan Senate and Majority Leader Sen. Winnie Brinks (D) filed a lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims against the Michigan House of Representatives, House Speaker Matt Hall (R), and House Clerk Scott Starr.[1] According to Brinks, she and the Senate filed the lawsuit because Hall, at the time, did not send nine bills that passed both legislative chambers to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) for potential signatures.[1]
Both legislative chambers passed the nine bills at the center of the lawsuit during the 2023-2024 legislative sessions when Democrats had a 20-18 majority in the Senate and a 56-54 majority in the House. After their passage, then-House Speaker Joseph Tate (D) enrolled the bills.[2] However, they were not presented to Whitmer for potential signatures before the start of the 2025 legislative session.[2]
When the Michigan Legislature convened for the 2025 legislative session on Jan. 8, 2025, Republicans assumed control of the House after winning a 58-52 majority in the 2024 general elections. Since there were no regularly scheduled elections for the Senate that year, Democrats maintained their 20-18 control of the chamber. Following the start of the session, the House elected Hall to serve as speaker.[3] According to The Detroit News' Beth LaBlanc, Hall then "ordered House Clerk Scott Starr to hold off on sending the last bills until a legal review could be conducted to determine what House Republicans' options were."[4]
On Feb. 25, 2025, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel heard arguments regarding the case.[5] Brinks and the Senate claimed it was Hall's responsibility to present the bills to Whitmer for potential signatures.[5] However, Hall and the House claimed that it was Tate's responsibility to ensure Whitmer received the bills.[5]
On Feb. 27, 2025, Patel ruled that Hall should have sent the bills to Whitmer once Republicans took control of the House.[6] However, Patel said she would not force the House to send the bills, writing, "The procedures through which this takes place is a legislative function in which the Court will not interfere."[6]
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Michigan Senate Democrats, "Senate Majority Leader Brinks Files Lawsuit Against Republican Speaker Hall for Violating Constitution, Failing to Send Passed Legislation to Governor," February 3, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 CBS News Detroit, "Michigan Senate files lawsuit against Michigan House over 9 bills not reaching Gov. Whitmer's desk," February 3, 2025
- ↑ CBS News Detroit, "Michigan Rep. Matt Hall named state House speaker as Republicans reclaim majority," November 7, 2024
- ↑ The Detroit News, "Michigan Senate, House spar in court over nine bills that never made it to Whitmer's desk," February 24, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 WEMU 89.1, "Michigan Senate v. House argument has its day in court," February 25, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 CBS News Detroit, "Michigan Judge rules nine stalled bills should have been sent to Gov. Whitmer's desk," February 28, 2025
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
