Voting for Michigan Judges and Justices in the November Election

The election in November is very important because it will have a significant and lasting impact on the decisions and rulings that we will see from the Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Court of Appeals, and the Oakland County Circuit Court for years to come.

The opinions and judgments issued by these courts affect the rights of all of Michigan’s 10 million citizens.

However, because so much of the media coverage of the election centers around the Presidential race, voters are unfortunately missing out on vital information they will need to select the fairest and most justice-oriented Justices and Judges to preside over our states’ courts.

To help you when it is time to cast your vote – either now as you fill out your absentee ballot or several months from now when you are in a polling booth on election day – we wanted to provide you with crucial information about the judicial candidates so you know which judges and justices are the most qualified to earn your vote.

As judicial decisions in America seem to be increasingly siding with big corporations and powerful insurance as the expense of the rights of ordinary citizens and consumers, the upcoming 2024 election presents us with the opportunity to change the course that our courts are on by electing Judges and Justices who actually care about protecting people, consumers, and small business owners against the unfair practices of corporations and large insurance companies.

The judicial candidates discussed below are the Justices and Judges whom we recommend to our family, friends, clients, and colleagues. They are also the judicial candidates whom the Michigan Association of Justice has endorsed for November’s election. The Michigan Association for Justice is Michigan’s leading and most respected association of consumer protection and civil rights lawyers and judges.

Candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court

Justice Kyra Harris Bolden – Current Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court

Justice Bolden is the first Black woman to serve as a Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court. Before ascending to the state’s high court, Justice Bolden practiced law as a civil litigation attorney and also as a criminal defense attorney. Additionally, she also served as a Judicial Law Clerk to Judge John A. Murphy in Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court. Justice Bolden also served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives. Representing Michigan’s 35th House District, Justice Bolden was a forceful and effective for crime victims. She successfully crafted and passed bipartisan legislation to protect survivors of sexual violence. Justice Bolden continues to serve as a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, Wolverine Bar Association, Straker Bar Association, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, National Congress of Black Women-Oakland County, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Kimberly Ann Thomas – Attorney and University of Michigan Law Professor

Kimberly Ann Thomas is an experienced and effective trial and appellate lawyer. She is currently a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, where she is the co-founder and director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic. Governor Whitmer appointed Thomas to the Michigan Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform. She served as a US Fulbright Scholar at the University College Cork School of Law in Cork, Ireland. She has been honored with the Justice for All award from the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan. Thomas also has been engaged as a legal education expert for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative in Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey, which involved traveling to Jordan, developing a law school curriculum and establishing community-based legal clinics.

Candidates for the Michigan Court of Appeals

Judge Adrienne N. Young – Current Judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals

Before she became a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals, Judge Young practiced law for more than 8 years as an attorney with the State Appellate Defender Office, where she represented clients from around the state who had been charged with felony crimes but who could not afford to hire their own lawyer. Her advocacy for her clients included arguing cases to the Michigan Supreme Court. Judge Young also served as an instructor to educate lawyers and judges on issues involving criminal law and criminal procedure. Prior to joining SADO, Judge Young clerked on the Michigan Supreme Court. She has been an active member of the Wayne State Law School Women’s Law Caucus, the Women’s Bar Association, the Straker Bar Association, the DEI committee of the Oakland County Bar Association. Before she became a lawyer, Judge Young taught special education – while simultaneously earning her Master’s Degree in Education.

Judge Young is running to be re-elected to continue serving on the Michigan Court of Appeals representing the 2nd District, whose judges are elected or appointed from the counties of Genesee, Macomb, and Oakland.

Judge Randy J. Wallace – Current Judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals

I’ve personally known Randy for probably over two decades, and he has a big heart and a keen intellect. Before joining the Michigan Court of Appeals, Judge Wallace practiced law in Berkley, Michigan, since 1998. His focused his practice on helping people who had been injured in car accidents and standing up for the rights of victims of negligent nursing homes, foster care facilities and assisted living facilities. As an attorney, Judge Wallace fought for citizens whose constitutional rights had been violated by governmental action. Judge Wallace has served on the Michigan Supreme Court’s Committee on Model Jury Instructions and he chaired the State Bar of Michigan’s Civil Procedure & Courts Committee. In addition to representing his own clients, Judge Wallace served as a Case Evaluator at the Oakland County Circuit Court ADR Office.

Judge Wallace is running to be re-elected to continue serving on the Michigan Court of Appeals representing the 2nd District, whose judges are elected or appointed from the counties of Genesee, Macomb, and Oakland.

Candidate for the Oakland County Circuit Court

Nicole Sophia-Calhoun Huddleston – Trial Attorney with the Detroit Justice Center

Nicole Sophia-Calhoun Huddleston currently serves as the managing attorney for the Detroit Justice Center’s Legal Services and Advocacy Practice, where she provides free legal counsel to people from marginalized and underserved communities who would not otherwise have access to Michigan’s judicial system. Huddleston is a trial attorney who handles litigation in the areas of family and civil law as well as criminal defense. Before joining the Detroit Justice Center, she practiced law as an assistant Wayne County prosecutor in its domestic violence division and as a staff attorney at Legal Aid and Defenders and Lakeshore Legal Aid. In 2021, Huddleston was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to serve as a commissioner on the Michigan Justice For All (JFA) Commission whose mission is to expand access to and enhance the quality of the civil legal justice system in Michigan. Huddleston is also an ABA-certified mediator in the State of Michigan. She is an active member of the Wolverine Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, and she serves as a board member for the Straker Bar Association. Additionally, Huddleston is a member of the Board of Directors for Matrix Theatre and she also serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Employment Opportunities.

Nicole Sophia-Calhoun Huddleston is running to be elected Judge in the Oakland County Circuit Court, which is Michigan’s Sixth Judicial Circuit.  I think Nicole would be an excellent addition to the Oakland County Circuit Court!

To learn more, please check out our blog post on Michigan Judicial Elections 2024.