UM professor and trial lawyer Kimberly Thomas accepts the Michigan Democratic Party’s official nomination for state Supreme Court at the party’s nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols
With just two weeks before the Nov. 5 election, Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, who was nominated for the court by the Michigan Republican Party in 2018, has endorsed the candidacy of University of Michigan law professor Kimberly Ann Thomas, nominated by Michigan Democrats to run for a full eight-year term.
“I am pleased to endorse Kimberly Ann Thomas for Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court,” said Clement in the announcement. “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.”
Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement | Susan J. Demas
The endorsement is significant in that Thomas is running against state Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Adams Twp.), who was nominated by the Republican Party, to replace GOP-nominated Justice David Viviano, who declined to seek reelection.
A request for comment was made by the Michigan Advance to Fink, but has yet to be returned.
Nothing less than control of the court is in the balance, as it currently stands with a 4-3 majority of justices nominated by Democrats.
The potential results on Nov. 5 run the gamut from expanding the current Democratic-nominated majority, keeping it as is, or flipping command to Republican-nominated justices.
Although races for the state’s highest court appear on the nonpartisan ballot — and are not included in straight-ticket voting — the Democratic and Republican parties nominate candidates at their respective conventions in August.
Clement acknowledged that while she and Thomas may not share identical philosophies, Thomas would help foster collaboration among the justices.
“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,” said Clement.
In recent years, the Michigan Supreme Court has had to make key decisions on issues with big partisan divides, such as minimum wage, the governor’s powers during emergencies like the pandemic and whether the 2022 abortion rights constitutional amendment would appear on the ballot.
As well as being a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School, Thomas is also the director and co-founder of the Juvenile Justice Clinic. She also teaches in the Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic and specializes in trial and appellate practice, youth justice, and criminal sentencing law.
In addition to the race between Thomas and Fink for an eight-year term, another contest for a partial, four-year term features incumbent Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, a Democratic nominee appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2023 to fill a vacancy, running for reelection against GOP-nominated Branch County Circuit Court Judge Patrick William O’Grady.
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