Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Wilder rejoins Butzel Long

Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kurtis T. Wilder has rejoined Butzel Long, where he practiced earlier in his career. He rejoins as Of Counsel.

Justice Wilder served on the Michigan Supreme Court following his appointment by Governor Rick Snyder on May 9, 2017.

Prior that time, he served as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from December 1998 to May 2017 and a judge of the Washtenaw County Trial Court from March 1992 to December 1998.

“We are pleased and honored to welcome Justice Wilder to the firm. In many respects, this is a homecoming for him,” said Justin G. Klimko, President and CEO of Butzel Long. “Justice Wilder was a highly regarded and respected jurist and is an important addition to our legal talent at Butzel Long.”

Justice Wilder, the 112th Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, graduated from the University of Michigan with an A.B. degree in political science in 1981, and from the University of Michigan Law School with a Juris Doctor degree in 1984.

He has memberships in the Fellows of the Michigan State Bar Foundation; the Federalist Society, Board of Advisors, Lawyers Division-Michigan Chapter; and the Wolverine Bar Association.  He has served as a member of the Model Criminal Jury Instruction Committee, the Family Division Joint Rules Committee, and the Family Court Implementation Task Force. He is a past president of the Michigan Judges Association, and past chairman of the State Bar Judicial Conference. Justice Wilder also served as the Supreme Court’s liaison for courthouse security.

He has also been active in numerous civic and philanthropic endeavors throughout his career. He is a former chair of the State of Michigan Community Corrections Advisory Board; former board chair of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan and Nonprofit Enterprise at Work; former board member of The Sphinx Organization; Rotary Club of Ann Arbor; Ann Arbor Symphony; and, American Red Cross, Washtenaw County Chapter. 

Justice Wilder currently serves on the boards of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation; and Interlochen Center for the Arts. He is an elder and chancel choir member at First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth.