The Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) last week announced its first round of judicial endorsements for 2020.
The endorsed candidates are: Chief Justice Bridget McCormack for the Michigan Supreme Court, Grand Rapids attorney Elizabeth Welch for the state Supreme Court, and Judge Michelle Rick for the Michigan Court of Appeals, Fourth District.
McCormack and Welch are each seeking one of two eight-year Supreme Court seats on the statewide ballot this November. Rick is seeking one of three six-year seats on the Michigan Court of Appeals - Fourth District, which will be selected by voters in Mid-Michigan, the Thumb, Northern Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula.
"MAJ is proud to endorse three accomplished jurists for the Michigan Supreme Court and state Court of Appeals," said MAJ President Robert MacDonald. "Throughout their careers, each has demonstrated a commitment to a fair and open civil justice system that protects people and allows those who have been harmed or wronged to seek justice.
"During her time on the bench, Chief Justice McCormack has proven to be a fair and independent arbiter of the law and a dedicated public servant who represents the highest standards of the legal profession," said MacDonald. "We commend her for her work to increase access to our courts, improve their efficiency, and make them independent of political pressure."
MacDonald, a Flint attorney, also gave high marks to Elizabeth Welch for one of the two upcoming openings on the Supreme Court.
"Elizabeth Welch is an experienced and well-respected attorney with a reputation as a bridge builder and fierce advocate for her clients and her community," MacDonald said. "We know Elizabeth will be a justice who listens and who will be committed to a civil justice system that treats everyone equally. She will be an excellent addition to our state's highest court."
The MAJ, said McDonald, also has endorsed the candidacy of Judge Michelle Rick for the state Court of Appeals in the Fourth District.
"Judge Rick has a distinguished record of service on the 29th Circuit Court," McDonald said of the court that serves Clinton and Gratiot counties. "She knows the law and has extensive experience hearing complex family, criminal, and civil cases. The people of Michigan and legal community will benefit from having Judge Rick on the Michigan Court of Appeals."
McCormack was elected to the Supreme Court in 2012 and became chief justice in 2019. As the chief justice, McCormack has promoted statewide initiatives devoted to improving the courts' service to the public. Together with the attorney general, she launched an Elder Abuse Taskforce, which is actively working on improvements to the service to seniors in courts. Additional successful initiatives include the Michigan Access for all Taskforce, Online Dispute Resolution throughout Michigan's courts, the first expungement clinics in the state, and Michigan's participation in the Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, she was a law professor and dean at the University of Michigan Law School, where she continues to teach. McCormack spent the first five years of her legal career in New York, first with the Legal Aid Society and then at the Office of the Appellate Defender. McCormack is a graduate of the New York University Law School. She and her husband have four adult children.
Welch is the founder of Welch Law in Grand Rapids. Her firm assists small to mid-size companies and nonprofit organizations with issues related to employment law. Welch began her legal practice in 1995 at Greenebaum, Doll, & McDonald in Louisville, Ky. She then returned to Grand Rapids and joined Miller Johnson. In 2004, she opened her own practice, allowing her to broaden her legal career to include pro bono work on abuse and neglect matters, assisting a criminal defense law practice, and supporting local litigation related to the opioid epidemic. Welch devotes an extensive amount of time serving the nonprofit community in West Michigan and the state. She currently serves as a trustee for the Steelcase Foundation, is a board member of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, and is vice president of the Board of Education for East Grand Rapids Public Schools. Welch graduated from Penn State University and received her law degree from Ohio State University, where she served as a top editor for the Law Journal. Welch and her husband have four children three currently attending college and one recently graduated.
Judge Michelle Rick was appointed in 2007 by then Governor Jennifer Granholm to the 29th Circuit Court and was re-elected in 2010 and 2016. Prior to taking the bench, and following a brief time in private practice, Rick served as an assistant prosecutor in Livingston County, followed by service to the state of Michigan as an assistant attorney general and then as deputy legal counsel to Governor Granholm. Rick is a former district director and current Michigan chair for the National Association of Women Judges. She also is treasurer of the Michigan Judges Association, where she previously chaired the outreach and conference planning committee. In 2015, Rick was appointed by Governor Snyder to the Human Trafficking Commission. She teaches "Access to Justice" at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and previously served as an adjunct law professor at MSU Law and WMU-Cooley. Rick earned her law degree from the University of Detroit and her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University.
The Michigan Association for Justice, formerly the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, is a trade association of more than 1,500 plaintiff's attorneys and staff. It is headquartered in Lansing.
Published: Thu, Jan 23, 2020
