Michigan Court of Appeals

Last updated
Michigan Court of Appeals
Established1 January 1965
JurisdictionFlag of Michigan.svg  Michigan
Location Detroit (1st District)
Troy (2nd District)
Grand Rapids (3rd District)
Lansing (4th District)
Composition method election; appointment
Authorised byMI Const. art. VI, § 1
Appeals to Michigan Supreme Court
Judge term length6 years
Number of positions25
Website Michigan Court Appeals
Chief Judge
Currently Elizabeth L. Gleicher
Division map
Appeals.png

The Michigan Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court of the state of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, and commenced operations in 1965. Its opinions are reported both in an official publication of the State of Michigan, Michigan Appeals Reports, as well as the unofficial, privately published North Western Reporter , published by West. Appeals from this court's decisions go to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Contents

History

The court originally had only nine judges. The number was steadily increased by the Michigan Legislature to accommodate the court's growing caseload—to 12 in 1969, to 18 in 1974, to 24 in 1988, and to 28 in 1993. [1] In 2012, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed into law legislation which provided for the transition of each of the court's 4 election districts to 6 judges, which will bring the court back to 24 judges over time through attrition. [2]

Overview

District I of the Michigan Court of Appeals is located in Cadillac Place, a State office complex in Detroit. CadillacPlaceNewCenterdetroit1.jpg
District I of the Michigan Court of Appeals is located in Cadillac Place, a State office complex in Detroit.

The court has 25 judges who are elected from four electoral districts for 6-year terms on a non-partisan ballot. Vacancies are filled by the governor. Judges or candidates who reach the age of 70 are not allowed to run for election. [3] Although the judges are elected in districts, they sit as one statewide court. [1]

Cases are heard by panels of 3 judges, similarly to the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Like most appellate courts, the Court of Appeals observes the principle of stare decisis , where a court's reasoning in its past precedents binds its present decisions. When a panel of the court disagrees with a prior precedent, it must abide by the earlier decision in deciding the case at hand. When a panel expresses its disagreement with a prior precedent, there is a mechanism to convene a special 7-member "conflict panel" (similar to the en banc procedure in the U.S. Courts of Appeals) that resolves the conflict between the earlier decision and the expressed desire of a panel of the court's judges to depart from that precedent. Unlike the circuits of the federal courts, the Michigan Court of Appeal's precedents apply are applied statewide regardless of the district in which an opinion is handed down. [1]

Districts

The court has four electoral districts:

All four districts have offices in these locations, but the 2nd District in Troy does not have a courtroom. Due to the geographic size of the 4th District, the court will, on occasion, schedule a panel to hear cases in a northern Michigan city (such as Marquette, Petoskey, or Traverse City), for the convenience of the parties. [1]

Each district elects six or seven judges, but the judges on the various panels are not drawn from specific districts. There are also four case filing districts based around geographic proximity to the court's physical records; because of this, the lines of the electoral districts and case filing districts do not correspond. [4]

Current judges

First district

JudgeAssumed officeTerm EndsElected/AppointedNotes
Thomas C. Cameron20172029Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)
Noah P. Hood20222027Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Kirsten Frank Kelly 20012025Elected
Anica Leticia20182027Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)
Christopher M. Murray20022027Appointed by John Engler (R)Chief Judge: 2018-2021
Chief Judge pro tem:2008–2009;2015–2018
Michael Riordan20122025Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)
Kristina Robinson Garrett20222029Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)

Second District

JudgeAssumed officeTerm EndsElected/AppointedNotes
Mark J. Cavanagh19892027Elected
Kathleen Jansen 19892025Appointed by Jim Blanchard (D)
Colleen A. O'Brien20152029Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)
Sima G. Patel20222027Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Randy Wallace20242025Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Adrienne Young20242025Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)

Third District

JudgeAssumed officeTerm EndsElected/AppointedNotes
Mark T. Boonstra20122027Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)
Kathleen A. Feeney20232029Elected
Philip Mariani20242025Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Jane E. Markey19952027Elected
James Robert Redford20182029Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)
Christopher P. Yates20222025Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)

Fourth District

JudgeAssumed officeTerm EndsElected/AppointedNotes
Stephen L. Borrello, Chief Judge pro tem20032025Appointed by Jennifer Granholm (D)
Michael F. Gadola, Chief Judge20152029Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)Chief Judge pro tem: 2022–2023
Michael J. Kelly20092027Elected
Allie Greenleaf Maldonado20232025Appointed by Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Michelle M. Rick20212027Elected
Brock A. Swartzle20172029Appointed by Rick Snyder (R)

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Court of Appeals History". Michigan Courts. The Michigan Supreme Court. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  2. "After signing law to shrink Court of Appeals, Snyder to add another judge". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  3. "Frequently Asked Questions". Michigan Courts. Michigan Supreme Court. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  4. "Case Filing District Map". Michigan Courts. Michigan Supreme Court. Retrieved 24 September 2022.