The Michigan Supreme Court has unanimously elected Justice Bridget M. McCormack to serve a two-year term as chief justice.
She succeeds Chief Justice Stephen J. Markman and is the sixth woman to serve as chief justice.
The court also announced late last week that Justice David F. Viviano will serve as Chief Justice Pro Tem.
In this newly-created post, Viviano will focus on court technology and administrative reforms to improve service and responsiveness to the public.
Viviano was appointed to the state’s highest court in 2013 and was elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2018.
Earlier, he served on the Macomb County Circuit Court for seven years.
McCormack was first elected to the court in 2012 following her service on the faculty of the University of Michigan Law School.
“Michigan’s courts must be accessible to all, engaged with the communities they serve, independent of political pressure and efficient in making the best use of public resources,” McCormack said. “My goal is to build on past achievements while redoubling our efforts to help Michigan’s judiciary become more responsive to the public we serve.”
McCormack highlighted several key initiatives that will help Michigan courts be more accessible, engaged, independent and efficient:
• Implementing technology to increase access, improve service, and make the judiciary more efficient, including statewide e-filing, online dispute resolution and easy-to-use web-based tools to support self-represented litigants.
• Reform of pretrial practices so that bail decisions guard individual rights, protect public safety and reduce the cost of incarceration.
• Problem-solving courts that emphasize treatment, rigorous monitoring, and community support to help defendants tackle problems such as substance abuse, dramatically reducing repeat offenses and making neighborhoods safer.
“While I was the chief justice, Justice McCormack worked very closely with me and no one was more committed to reforming the judiciary to become more service -focused,” said retired Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr. “She is an energetic and inspired leader. I look forward to watching her move Michigan’s judiciary forward to better serve its people.”
McCormack said she was grateful to Markman for his leadership, adding that he “worked diligently for the people who rely on our courts and we are all thankful for his service.”
The court chooses a chief justice every two years.
Court officials noted that the election marks the first time in state history that women occupy the state’s top four posts, with McCormack joined by Gretchen Whitmer as governor, Dana Nessel as attorney general and Jocelyn Benson as secretary of state.
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