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Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack To Retire This Year

Photo of Martin Walsh Martin WalshOctober 10, 2022
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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.

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Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack will retire by the end of the year.

“McCormack, who was nominated by the Democratic Party, was reelected to an eight-year term in 2020. She’s been on the court since 2013. She is the ninth woman to join the high court and the sixth woman to serve as chief justice According to a press release, McCormack notified Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of her plans for retirement and will step down no later than Dec. 31, but not before Nov. 22,” CBS News reported.

“A decade can be a common measuring point for personal and professional change. Over the last 10 years, my kids grew up and went off to college and graduate school, we bought a pickup truck and an RV, and I have had the honor of serving as Chief Justice for the past four years. Making good on a campaign promise I made in 2012, I have given my every effort to do justice and to make the Michigan judiciary as fair and accessible as possible. After a decade, the time has come for me to move on, to let others lead, and to build on a foundation of progress,” McCormack said in a statement.

Her retirement will heighten the importance of November’s midterms.

Democrats currently have a 4-3 majority on Michigan’s Supreme Court. The governor will appoint McCormack’s replacement, meaning it will either be incumbent Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Trump-backed Tudor, the Republican nominee for governor of Michigan.

In a statement, Whitmer called McCormack “a phenomenal public servant.”

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“In her tenure on the Michigan Supreme Court, she upheld the rule of law, stood strong for our constitutional values, and protected the fundamental rights of every Michigander. She worked tirelessly, both on and off the bench, to move our state courts forward and ensure that all Michiganders, no matter their background, means, or circumstance, had equal access to our justice system,” she said.

A new poll shows Trump-backed Dixon narrowing the gap between her and Whitmer in Michigan.

A CBS News/YouGov poll found that Whitmer has a six-point lead over Dixon — 53 percent to 47 percent.

In September, a Detriot News poll showed Whitmer leading Dixon by 13 points.

According to CBS News, the poll showed that while moderate voters tend to prefer Whitmer over Dixon, their concerns about the economy may sway them into Dixon’s camp come voting day:

It’s the economy that’s more on the minds of Michigan voters than the coronavirus, and most of them rate the state’s economy negatively (although better than the nation’s). Half of the voters are expecting the U.S. to be in recession next year, perhaps leaving some room for Dixon to gain ground.

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And by two to one, more voters think Biden’s policies have hurt, rather than helped Michigan’s economy. This suggests that further nationalization of this race, and making it a referendum on Democrats nationally, could help Dixon.

Law enforcement in the state of Michigan recently published a letter calling Dixon their preferred candidate, praising her for valuing “safety and security above all else.”

“We are pleased to come together to give our full and unwavering support to a candidate that respects our men and women in uniform, puts safety and security above a personal political agenda, and is committed to making meaningful changes to the current status quo,” the sheriffs wrote.

“We look forward to partnering with Tudor Dixon and her Administration on the critical issues facing law enforcement and making safety and security a top priority,” the sheriffs added.

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The group included Sheriff William Federspiel, a Democrat serving Saginaw County, a key swing county in Michigan that former President Donald Trump narrowly lost in 2020.

The four-pronged plan entails increasing the state’s number of law enforcement employees and the retention rate among them; improving access to equipment, training, and mental health services; bolstering resources to process evidence in criminal cases more quickly; and creating a “working group” to help craft and pass legislation comprising her crime-related priorities.

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Photo of Martin Walsh Martin WalshOctober 10, 2022