Michiganders will decide this November who will serve on the Michigan Supreme Court.
Your vote matters because the Michigan Supreme Court has the highest legal authority in the state. Their decisions shape our civil rights and liberties, including reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, privacy rights, and more.
Here are some of the recent decisions the Michigan Supreme Court made that impact your rights:
Reproductive Rights
The Michigan Supreme Court decided that Proposal 3, Reproductive Freedom for All, should be placed on the 2022 ballot, which voters overwhelmingly approved. This enshrined the right to an abortion – and all decisions related to reproductive health – in our state constitution. When Roe fell, Michiganders reproductive rights remained intact.
Voting Rights
In 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court decided that Proposal 2, Promote the Vote 2.0, should be placed on the ballot. Voters also passed this measure in a landslide, making voting more accessible by providing nine days of early in-person voting, requiring state-funded absentee ballot drop boxes and postage for ballots and applications, and requiring military and overseas ballots to be counted if postmarked by Election Day.
LGBTQ Rights
The Michigan Supreme Court also ruled in 2022 that our state’s civil rights act applies to LGBTQ people, ensuring protections from discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Respecting Trans and Nonbinary People
The high court also issued a new court rule last year that requires all state court judges and their staff to use a person’s chosen pronoun and name of all who appear before them, including attorneys. The rule, which went into effect this year, will also apply to all written court documents. Michigan is the first state court to adopt such a rule. The court rule sends an important message to Michigan’s transgender and gender non-binary community that they will be afforded the same dignity, courtesy, and fairness given to cisgender persons and can expect equal access to justice in Michigan courts.
Be sure to flip your ballot and vote in the Michigan Supreme Court race. Our rights depend on it.
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