State Supreme Court denies judge's challenge of age ban

LANSING (AP) — Michigan’s high court has denied a state appeals court judge’s challenge of the constitution’s ban on judges over age 70 seeking re-election.

The Detroit News reports the Supreme Court ruled recently it wasn’t persuaded to consider the Judge Peter O’Connell’s case before the Michigan Court of Appeals does.

O’Connell’s appeal was filed before a decision by the appeals court.

O’Connell will be ineligible to seek re-election when his term expires in January 2019. Because of that, the 67-year-old filed paperwork to have his name appear as an incumbent on this year’s ballot, seeking re-election in 2016 instead of 2018.

O’Connell says the case is about age discrimination.

He also filed a case in the Court of Claims, which was dismissed earlier.