By Ben Solis
Gongwer News Service
Democratic Party Supreme Court candidate Kimberly Thomas received a whopper endorsement on Tuesday from Republican Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, with the chief justice saying Thomas will do the job with “integrity and civility.”
Clement was nominated by the Michigan Republican Party in 2018 after previously being appointed to the bench by former Governor Rick Snyder. Although the GOP did eventually nominate her, she was booed at that convention and party members were already disappointed with some of her decisions on redistricting and guns.
Looking to 2026, Clement’s path to renomination isn’t guaranteed and the endorsement of a candidate nominated by the Democrats is another challenge. As an incumbent, she doesn’t need a party’s nomination, incumbents can simply nominate themselves to attain ballot access but historically incumbents seek their party’s nomination.
She told Gongwer News Service on Tuesday, though, that her nomination hopes weren’t part of her endorsement decision.
“I can honestly say that those types of things don’t enter into my process and calculation when making decisions of what is best for the court and the people of the state of Michigan,” she said.
Clement’s endorsement of Thomas was announced in a news release circulated by Thomas’s campaign.
“I am pleased to endorse Kimberly Ann Thomas for Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court,” Clement said in a statement. “I worked with Professor Thomas when I co-chaired the bipartisan Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform, and I have every confidence that she will continue to work for collaborative and practical ways to improve our state courts. I know she and I will not agree on every issue, but her experience and background and commitment to civility and access to justice will make the court stronger. She will be an excellent addition to the court.”
Clement is known for her independent streak and has routinely bucked the Republican Party over the years, especially in her decision making as a member of the high court bench and as its chief justice. Clement has a penchant for being a swing vote on the court and has a record of landing with the current 4-3 Democratic Party majority on the court.
Thomas is running against Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Hillsdale).
In a separate interview with Gongwer, Clement elaborated on her endorsement of Thomas.
“She’s someone who I can have very direct and honest conversations with, she is a great listener. She is very smart. She’s willing to have those tough conversations multiple times. And for me, that’s what our court does,” Clement said. “We’re a multi-member court. There’s seven of us. We all come from different backgrounds, different experience, different perspectives. The most important thing is that we are able to talk to one another about cases, about the judiciary as a whole, trial courts, because that is a big part of the job that we do; and to respect one another in even when we disagree. To do it in a respectful way, because I think it’s really important that the public and the bench and the bar understand the decisions that come from us, and that they see where we agree and where we disagree and know what the clear rules of the game are.”
Clement added that in every interaction she’s had with Thomas, she’s been “incredible.”
“She is incredibly hard working. She’s very open-minded. I think she is committed, like I am, to the court system as a whole, especially the Supreme Court, being nonpartisan and having partisan politics not play a role in the work that we do,” Clement said. “I think she’s someone that will do the job with integrity and civility. That’s what my hope is for our courts, and for the future of the Michigan Supreme Court and judiciary.”
That said, Clement clarified that her endorsement of Thomas is not a criticism of Fink, whom she said she has a great deal of respect for and has worked well with during his time as a legislator.
“I think he’s incredibly bright, incredibly hard working. We’ve had a great relationship (over the years),” Clement said. “I have not had that depth of experience with him, however, on those broader issues as it relates to the judiciary. It’s not a criticism of him at all. I think very highly of him. … Kimberly Thomas decided to run for this position, and I looked at our court as a whole and who would be the best addition to our court. She asked for my support, and I was happy to offer it.”
As to whether her endorsement of Thomas would ruffle the feathers of Republican voters and establishment figures who nominated her to the bench, and if she was worried about pushback, Clement said the institution of the court trumps her potential future on the bench.
“That is more important to me than my position on the court,” she said. “So, making this decision to endorse Professor Thomas, what I had in mind was, ‘what is best for the court and for the people of the state who interact with the judicial branch?’ I was not in any way looking at what was best for me.”
Gongwer News Service
Democratic Party Supreme Court candidate Kimberly Thomas received a whopper endorsement on Tuesday from Republican Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, with the chief justice saying Thomas will do the job with “integrity and civility.”
Clement was nominated by the Michigan Republican Party in 2018 after previously being appointed to the bench by former Governor Rick Snyder. Although the GOP did eventually nominate her, she was booed at that convention and party members were already disappointed with some of her decisions on redistricting and guns.
Looking to 2026, Clement’s path to renomination isn’t guaranteed and the endorsement of a candidate nominated by the Democrats is another challenge. As an incumbent, she doesn’t need a party’s nomination, incumbents can simply nominate themselves to attain ballot access but historically incumbents seek their party’s nomination.
She told Gongwer News Service on Tuesday, though, that her nomination hopes weren’t part of her endorsement decision.
“I can honestly say that those types of things don’t enter into my process and calculation when making decisions of what is best for the court and the people of the state of Michigan,” she said.
Clement’s endorsement of Thomas was announced in a news release circulated by Thomas’s campaign.
“I am pleased to endorse Kimberly Ann Thomas for Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court,” Clement said in a statement. “I worked with Professor Thomas when I co-chaired the bipartisan Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform, and I have every confidence that she will continue to work for collaborative and practical ways to improve our state courts. I know she and I will not agree on every issue, but her experience and background and commitment to civility and access to justice will make the court stronger. She will be an excellent addition to the court.”
Clement is known for her independent streak and has routinely bucked the Republican Party over the years, especially in her decision making as a member of the high court bench and as its chief justice. Clement has a penchant for being a swing vote on the court and has a record of landing with the current 4-3 Democratic Party majority on the court.
Thomas is running against Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Hillsdale).
In a separate interview with Gongwer, Clement elaborated on her endorsement of Thomas.
“She’s someone who I can have very direct and honest conversations with, she is a great listener. She is very smart. She’s willing to have those tough conversations multiple times. And for me, that’s what our court does,” Clement said. “We’re a multi-member court. There’s seven of us. We all come from different backgrounds, different experience, different perspectives. The most important thing is that we are able to talk to one another about cases, about the judiciary as a whole, trial courts, because that is a big part of the job that we do; and to respect one another in even when we disagree. To do it in a respectful way, because I think it’s really important that the public and the bench and the bar understand the decisions that come from us, and that they see where we agree and where we disagree and know what the clear rules of the game are.”
Clement added that in every interaction she’s had with Thomas, she’s been “incredible.”
“She is incredibly hard working. She’s very open-minded. I think she is committed, like I am, to the court system as a whole, especially the Supreme Court, being nonpartisan and having partisan politics not play a role in the work that we do,” Clement said. “I think she’s someone that will do the job with integrity and civility. That’s what my hope is for our courts, and for the future of the Michigan Supreme Court and judiciary.”
That said, Clement clarified that her endorsement of Thomas is not a criticism of Fink, whom she said she has a great deal of respect for and has worked well with during his time as a legislator.
“I think he’s incredibly bright, incredibly hard working. We’ve had a great relationship (over the years),” Clement said. “I have not had that depth of experience with him, however, on those broader issues as it relates to the judiciary. It’s not a criticism of him at all. I think very highly of him. … Kimberly Thomas decided to run for this position, and I looked at our court as a whole and who would be the best addition to our court. She asked for my support, and I was happy to offer it.”
As to whether her endorsement of Thomas would ruffle the feathers of Republican voters and establishment figures who nominated her to the bench, and if she was worried about pushback, Clement said the institution of the court trumps her potential future on the bench.
“That is more important to me than my position on the court,” she said. “So, making this decision to endorse Professor Thomas, what I had in mind was, ‘what is best for the court and for the people of the state who interact with the judicial branch?’ I was not in any way looking at what was best for me.”
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