Hi there, election-curious people,
We did it. We made it through the attack ads, the debates, the polling. We survived the primaries. For our reward, we get more of the same, all the way until November. 🎉
My colleagues have been busy breaking down the primary results, but here at The Mids, we’re plugging ahead trying to answer more of your questions.
One of the topics you’ve asked about repeatedly is something I’ve struggled with myself: judges.
Judges: The non-partisan conundrum
Judicial candidates are technically non-partisan in Michigan, which is why you most likely didn’t see judges on your primary ballot. Judicial candidates would only appear on a primary ballot if there are more than twice as many candidates as there are seats up for grabs.
The non-partisanness of judges gets a little fuzzy when it comes to candidates for the state Supreme Court. Those candidates must first be nominated by parties at the party convention, then placed on the ballot as “non-partisan.” How are they still non-partisan? No idea, really. Michigan just does this weird.
There are two open seats this year in the Michigan Supreme Court. You can find our coverage of the Supreme Court here. As we get closer to the general election, stay tuned for more interviews with these judicial candidates.
Research tips straight from Lansing
For me, though, the most challenging judicial races to track are at the local level, in circuit courts and district courts where many of the proceedings involve low-level cases that don’t get a lot of public attention.
To get some tips on how to research these races, I went to Lansing and talked to Tom Boyd, the State Court Administrator.
“It’s not easy,” Boyd told me. “The judicial branch is not a representative branch of government.”
Boyd was a district court judge in Ingham County before he took over as the State Court Administrator. And he told me part of the problem with researching judges is simply that they don’t give you the same information as partisan candidates who are running to represent you.
“Judges don’t express opinions that you can then match with yours,” he added. “A judge’s job is to apply the facts to the law, so what you’re looking for is competency.”
To assess a candidate’s competency, Boyd said you can look them up at the State Bar of Michigan. You can search for general information on judge candidates here, or check the Attorney Discipline Board to find out if they were ever disciplined as an attorney.
If the candidate is an incumbent, you can also search the Judicial Tenure Commission for any public complaints filed against them.
That is really just the start of where to look. Boyd pointed out that in many smaller local communities, news outlets still cover courts fairly closely. So he said you can head to your “favorite search engine” and look for any stories that pop up from previous cases.
Judges also have to file financial reports, so check your local county clerk website to find that information.
As with any election research, you’ll have to poke around for a bit to feel like you’ve got a handle on it. But you got this!
Only three more months to go! Next time, we’re talking about a ballot question that appears every 16 years . . .
🥁 Drumroll please! 🥁
A Con(stitutional)-Con(vention)!
May The Mids be with you,
Dustin Dwyer, Reporter
Have more questions about the midterms? Fill out the form below!
Producer's Corner
Are you curious how Michigan’s judicial system works? What does each court type do and how many courts are there? Read the article below to find out!
