ACLU urges voters to cast their ballot in this important race.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DETROIT – The ACLU of Michigan urges voters to cast their ballot in the Michigan Supreme Court race, following the Democratic and Republican parties finalizing their nominations for the November election at their respective conventions this weekend. The Michigan Supreme Court race is critical to the protection and advancement of our civil rights and liberties, including reproductive rights. The Court has the highest legal authority in the state.
There are two open seats on the Michigan Supreme Court. One is for a partial four-year term. Following the retirement of Chief Justice Bridget McCormack in 2022, sitting Justice Kyra Harris Bolden was appointed to the bench by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Bolden is currently serving in this position and is running to complete the remainder of her term, which ends January 1, 2029.
The other opening is for a full eight-year term. The winning candidate will replace Justice David Viviano, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
On Saturday, Democrats officially nominated Bolden to run to complete her term, and Kimberly Ann Thomas to run for the full eight-year term. Republicans selected Andrew Fink as the candidate to run for the full 8-year term and Patrick O'Grady to run for the partial term.
Though state parties nominate Michigan Supreme Court candidates, each will appear in the nonpartisan section of the November 5 election ballot.
The ACLU of Michigan is dedicated to transparency in our electoral system – and the candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court are no different. Now that the candidates have been officially nominated, it is imperative that voters are aware of each candidate’s record, including on abortion and reproductive freedom. The ACLU will be educating voters about the differences between candidates in the coming weeks to ensure they understand the impact of their vote.
Michigan voters made it clear that they want reproductive rights, including abortion, protected when they overwhelmingly passed a 2022 ballot measure that amended our state constitution to enshrine these rights. They also want to ensure voting rights are protected, which they voted to expand twice with ballot measures in 2018 and 2022.
In recent years, rulings from the Michigan Supreme Court have protected critical rights such as abortion access, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. A few of their rulings include:
In 2022, Michiganders went to the polls and enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. However, voters were only able to do so because the Court, in Reproductive Freedom For All v. Board of State Canvassers, directed the Board of Canvassers to place the proposal on the ballot after opponents tried to block it on technical grounds.
In another 2022 case, Rouch World, LLC v. Department of Civil Rights, the Court ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation violates the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. As a result of that decision, LGBTQ+ people in Michigan have some of America’s most comprehensive protections against discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, and public services.
Last month, the Court ruled in Mothering Justice v. Attorney General that it is unconstitutional for the state legislature to circumvent the ability of the people to vote on ballot initiatives. The ruling means that lawmakers cannot take a people-led ballot measure that has qualified for the ballot, pass it into law, and then immediately rewrite the core meaning of the measure.
Loren Khogali, ACLU of Michigan Executive Director, released this statement:
“The Michigan Supreme Court has a profound impact on the rights of everyone throughout the state and shapes the laws that affect the day to day of our lives. Too much is at stake to not weigh in on this race. So, to every eligible voter: educate yourself on the candidates running in the Michigan Supreme Court race and be sure to fill out your full ballot, including the nonpartisan section. This November, Michiganders will make decisions that could impact our civil rights for years to come. It has never been more important to elect a Michigan Supreme Court that will protect and expand our hard-won rights.”
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