The United States Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Michigan Supreme Court Justice Joan Larsen to the Sixth U.S. Court of Appeals.
Larsen was nominated to the lifetime position by President Donald Trump on May 8. Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters voted in favor of Larsen's appointment, making the final decision 60-38.
Larsen was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court by Governor Rick Snyder in September 2015. Snyder will now have to appoint her successor. It will be his fifth appointment to the court.
Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, Larsen served on the faculty of the University of Michigan Law School, was the deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, and clerked for both David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals and former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Republicans supported Larsen throughout the nomination and appointment process, and many issued congratulatory statements Wednesday.
In his statement, Gov. Snyder added that he's proud to have a Michigander serve on the 6th Circuit:
Joan has served on the Michigan Supreme Court with great honor and distinction. While we are sad to see her leave the Supreme Court, I truly appreciate her dedicated work on the bench for the past two years and her devotion to upholding the rule of law. I’m proud that President Trump chose someone from Michigan to serve in this important role.
Larsen succeeds Judge David McKeague, who announced this year he would go on senior status at the 6th Circuit.
