Michigan Supreme Court Elects New Chief Justice

Liz Gullett

Jan 11, 2019

This week, Justice Bridget McCormack was elected by her colleagues to serve a two-year term as Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. She is the sixth woman in Michigan history to serve as Chief Justice. This also marks the first time in state history that the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Chief Justice are all women. Prior to her election to the court in 2012 she was a law professor and dean at the University of Michigan Law School.

The new Chief Justice highlighted several key initiatives that she believes will help Michigan courts be more accessible, engaged, independent, and efficient:

Implementing technology to increase access, improve service, and make the judiciary more efficient, including statewide e-filing, online dispute resolution, and easy-to-use web-based tools to support self-represented litigants.
Reform of pretrial practices so that bail decisions guard individual rights, protect public safety, and reduce the cost of incarceration.
Problem-solving courts that emphasize treatment, rigorous monitoring, and community support to help defendants tackle problems such as substance abuse, dramatically reducing repeat offenses and making neighborhoods safer.

Chief Justice McCormack also announced that Justice David Viviano will serve as Chief Justice Pro Tem. In this newly-created post, he will focus on court technology and administrative reforms with the goal of improving service and responsiveness to the public.

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