By Zach Gorchow
Gongwer News Service
The Michigan Supreme Court has a 6-1 majority of justices with a Democratic background, and for the first time two Black justices serving concurrently with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s appointment Wednesday of Court of Appeals Judge Noah Hood to the high court.
Hood will serve the remaining 20 months in the term of former Justice Elizabeth Clement. He will have the opportunity run for a full, eight-year term in 2026 with a designation as an incumbent justice.
“I am honored to appoint Judge Hood to the Michigan Supreme Court,” Whitmer said in a statement. “He has served the people of Michigan on the bench since 2019, when I was honored to appoint him first to the (Wayne) Circuit Court and later, to the Court of Appeals. A proud Detroiter, graduate of Harvard Law, and active member of the legal community with both trial and appellate court experience, he will bring important perspectives to the highest court in our state. I want to thank him for his many years of public service and look forward to many more on the Supreme Court.”
Hood, a 38-year-old Detroit resident, could potentially serve four full terms on the court even with the age limit barring residents from running for judge once they turn 70.
His appointment leaves Justice Brian Zahra as the lone nominee from the Republican Party on the court.
Hood, presumably, will stand for election in 2026. Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh also is up for reelection.
“I have had the distinct honor of serving the people of the state of Michigan for the past six years,” Hood said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to our governor for her decision to appoint me to
serve on our Supreme Court. I am also grateful for what it represents. For as long as I serve, the people will always be able to count on me for even-handed justice.”
Hood is a rare, for recent times, dose of judicial experience on the court. Besides Hood, only Zahra among the current justices served as a judge prior to joining the Supreme Court. The other justices
had practiced law, taught the law as a professor, or both.
Prior to Whitmer appointing him to the Wayne Circuit Court in 2019, Hood was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan and the Northern District of Ohio. He earned a bachelor’s
degree from Yale University and his law degree from Harvard Law School.
It was not immediately clear when Hood would formally resign his seat on the 1st District of the Court of Appeals and assume his seat on the Supreme Court.
Whitmer named Mariam Bazzi, a 46-year-old Dearborn resident, to replace Hood on the Court of Appeals.
Bazzi currently serves on the Wayne Circuit Court, having been elected and then reelected after Governor Snyder appointed her in 2017. Bazzi is the first Arab-American woman to be appointed to the Court of Appeals.
Whitmer called Bazzi a “trailblazer, community leader and proud Michigander” and said she would bring experience to the appellate court.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed by Governor Whitmer to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals,” Bazzi said in a statement. “I extend my heartfelt thanks to the governor and her dedicated selection team for their time, effort, and commitment throughout this process. It is a profound privilege to serve the people of this great state, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the fair and impartial administration of justice. I also extend my warmest congratulations to our new Supreme Court Justice and to my fellow appointees to the Court of Appeals.”
Whitmer also appointed two new judges to the Court of Appeals to fill vacancies.
Named to the 2nd District to replaced former Judge Mark Cavanagh, who retired, was Christopher Trebilcock, a 50-year-old Royal Oak resident. Trebilcock is a senior principal at the Clark Hill PLC firm, specializing in employment, labor and election law. He represented Whitmer in legal matters involving her campaign committee and a nonprofit fund tied to the governor.
Whitmer called him a skilled attorney with decades of experience in the law. He becomes the first person born and raised in the Upper Peninsula to serve on the Court of Appeals, though the U.P. is in the 4th District. The 2nd District is in the northern Detroit suburbs.
“As a proud Yooper, I am deeply honored to accept this appointment. The values I learned from my upbringing and education – service, integrity, and critical thinking – have guided me throughout my career,” Trebilcock said in a statement. “I am humbled by this opportunity and the trust placed by Governor Whitmer in my ability to serve the people of Michigan. I also want to thank my colleagues at Clark Hill for their unwavering support, mentorship, and friendship. I look forward to getting to work and serving the state that raised me and shaped my values.”
In the 3rd District, which covers most of west Michigan and stretches east into the Ann Arbor area, Whitmer named Daniel Korobkin, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, to succeed former Judge Jane Markey, who retired. Markey was once a Republican nominee to the Michigan Republican Court, meaning this now flips a Court of Appeals seat.
Whitmer said Korobkin brings years of legal experience.
Korobkin, besides his ACLU work, also teaches part-time at the University of Michigan Law School and Wayne State University Law School.
“I am truly humbled and honored by this incredible opportunity for public service,” Korobkin said in a statement. “I am immensely grateful to Governor Whitmer for this appointment, and I look forward to serving the people of the State of Michigan on the Court of Appeals.”
The ACLU praised Whitmer’s appointment of Korobkin.
“While we are deeply saddened to see Dan leave, we could not be prouder of his contributions to the ACLU of Michigan and his appointment to the Michigan Court of Appeals,” said ACLU of Michigan Board President Nathan Triplett in a statement. “Dan’s brilliance, leadership, and commitment to civil liberties has not only made our legal program one of the strongest in the nation but has improved the lives of Michigan residents with his devotion to protecting and expanding our rights with a focus on those most vulnerable to civil rights attacks.”
With the latest appointments, the Court of Appeals now has 12 judges either appointed by a Democratic governor or who were elected with Democratic support and 12 judges either appointed by a Republican governor or elected with Republican support. There is one judge who was directly elected to the bench without support from either party.
Gongwer News Service
The Michigan Supreme Court has a 6-1 majority of justices with a Democratic background, and for the first time two Black justices serving concurrently with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s appointment Wednesday of Court of Appeals Judge Noah Hood to the high court.
Hood will serve the remaining 20 months in the term of former Justice Elizabeth Clement. He will have the opportunity run for a full, eight-year term in 2026 with a designation as an incumbent justice.
“I am honored to appoint Judge Hood to the Michigan Supreme Court,” Whitmer said in a statement. “He has served the people of Michigan on the bench since 2019, when I was honored to appoint him first to the (Wayne) Circuit Court and later, to the Court of Appeals. A proud Detroiter, graduate of Harvard Law, and active member of the legal community with both trial and appellate court experience, he will bring important perspectives to the highest court in our state. I want to thank him for his many years of public service and look forward to many more on the Supreme Court.”
Hood, a 38-year-old Detroit resident, could potentially serve four full terms on the court even with the age limit barring residents from running for judge once they turn 70.
His appointment leaves Justice Brian Zahra as the lone nominee from the Republican Party on the court.
Hood, presumably, will stand for election in 2026. Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh also is up for reelection.
“I have had the distinct honor of serving the people of the state of Michigan for the past six years,” Hood said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to our governor for her decision to appoint me to
serve on our Supreme Court. I am also grateful for what it represents. For as long as I serve, the people will always be able to count on me for even-handed justice.”
Hood is a rare, for recent times, dose of judicial experience on the court. Besides Hood, only Zahra among the current justices served as a judge prior to joining the Supreme Court. The other justices
had practiced law, taught the law as a professor, or both.
Prior to Whitmer appointing him to the Wayne Circuit Court in 2019, Hood was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan and the Northern District of Ohio. He earned a bachelor’s
degree from Yale University and his law degree from Harvard Law School.
It was not immediately clear when Hood would formally resign his seat on the 1st District of the Court of Appeals and assume his seat on the Supreme Court.
Whitmer named Mariam Bazzi, a 46-year-old Dearborn resident, to replace Hood on the Court of Appeals.
Bazzi currently serves on the Wayne Circuit Court, having been elected and then reelected after Governor Snyder appointed her in 2017. Bazzi is the first Arab-American woman to be appointed to the Court of Appeals.
Whitmer called Bazzi a “trailblazer, community leader and proud Michigander” and said she would bring experience to the appellate court.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed by Governor Whitmer to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals,” Bazzi said in a statement. “I extend my heartfelt thanks to the governor and her dedicated selection team for their time, effort, and commitment throughout this process. It is a profound privilege to serve the people of this great state, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the fair and impartial administration of justice. I also extend my warmest congratulations to our new Supreme Court Justice and to my fellow appointees to the Court of Appeals.”
Whitmer also appointed two new judges to the Court of Appeals to fill vacancies.
Named to the 2nd District to replaced former Judge Mark Cavanagh, who retired, was Christopher Trebilcock, a 50-year-old Royal Oak resident. Trebilcock is a senior principal at the Clark Hill PLC firm, specializing in employment, labor and election law. He represented Whitmer in legal matters involving her campaign committee and a nonprofit fund tied to the governor.
Whitmer called him a skilled attorney with decades of experience in the law. He becomes the first person born and raised in the Upper Peninsula to serve on the Court of Appeals, though the U.P. is in the 4th District. The 2nd District is in the northern Detroit suburbs.
“As a proud Yooper, I am deeply honored to accept this appointment. The values I learned from my upbringing and education – service, integrity, and critical thinking – have guided me throughout my career,” Trebilcock said in a statement. “I am humbled by this opportunity and the trust placed by Governor Whitmer in my ability to serve the people of Michigan. I also want to thank my colleagues at Clark Hill for their unwavering support, mentorship, and friendship. I look forward to getting to work and serving the state that raised me and shaped my values.”
In the 3rd District, which covers most of west Michigan and stretches east into the Ann Arbor area, Whitmer named Daniel Korobkin, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, to succeed former Judge Jane Markey, who retired. Markey was once a Republican nominee to the Michigan Republican Court, meaning this now flips a Court of Appeals seat.
Whitmer said Korobkin brings years of legal experience.
Korobkin, besides his ACLU work, also teaches part-time at the University of Michigan Law School and Wayne State University Law School.
“I am truly humbled and honored by this incredible opportunity for public service,” Korobkin said in a statement. “I am immensely grateful to Governor Whitmer for this appointment, and I look forward to serving the people of the State of Michigan on the Court of Appeals.”
The ACLU praised Whitmer’s appointment of Korobkin.
“While we are deeply saddened to see Dan leave, we could not be prouder of his contributions to the ACLU of Michigan and his appointment to the Michigan Court of Appeals,” said ACLU of Michigan Board President Nathan Triplett in a statement. “Dan’s brilliance, leadership, and commitment to civil liberties has not only made our legal program one of the strongest in the nation but has improved the lives of Michigan residents with his devotion to protecting and expanding our rights with a focus on those most vulnerable to civil rights attacks.”
With the latest appointments, the Court of Appeals now has 12 judges either appointed by a Democratic governor or who were elected with Democratic support and 12 judges either appointed by a Republican governor or elected with Republican support. There is one judge who was directly elected to the bench without support from either party.
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