Michigan Supreme Court (MSC) Chief Justice Megan K. Cavanagh has stepped into the role of president-elect of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), an association whose mission is to unite the highest judicial officers from across the country to strengthen and support state court systems.
“I am deeply honored to serve as president-elect of the Conference of Chief Justices and work alongside such dynamic judicial leaders from across the nation,” she said. “While the CCJ provides an important forum for state courts to learn from one another and collaborate on critical initiatives, I am also proud to share Michigan’s perspective in this national role and spotlight the innovative work we are doing in our courts to improve access, transparency, and efficiency while safeguarding the rule of law.”
One of Chief Justice Cavanagh’s goals in this role is continuing to advance the priorities identified in the 2025 report of the CCJ Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR), including the study of and recommendations around accreditation of law schools, innovative pathways to licensure, and addressing legal deserts.
In particular, Chief Justice Cavanagh highlighted the importance of tackling the challenge of legal deserts, noting that work needs to be done to better understand barriers to legal education and practice for rural and urban residents in order to develop plans to encourage practice in underserved areas and provide technical assistance for courts working to expand access.
Read more about the CLEAR Report in Chief Justice Cavanagh’s article in the Michigan Bar Journal (“What the CLEAR report means for regulation of the legal profession;” June 2026).
Another goal is continuing to advance CCJ’s Safer Courts initiative. This initiative aims to improve court and judicial security by developing best practices, expert resources, and training while also establishing standardized reporting and identifying court needs for a national state court threat and incident tracking and reporting system.
The CCJ works closely with the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), which includes Michigan’s State Court Administrator Tom Boyd as a member of its board of directors. Both CCJ and COSCA operate under the auspices of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC).
Founded in 1949, the Conference of Chief Justices was created to foster communication, collaboration, and shared leadership among the highest-ranking judicial officers in the United States. CCJ has since evolved into a national leader shaping judicial policy, supporting court reform, and promoting the independence and effectiveness of state courts.
Chief Justice John Dethmers is the only other Michigander to have led CCJ (1958-59).
“I am deeply honored to serve as president-elect of the Conference of Chief Justices and work alongside such dynamic judicial leaders from across the nation,” she said. “While the CCJ provides an important forum for state courts to learn from one another and collaborate on critical initiatives, I am also proud to share Michigan’s perspective in this national role and spotlight the innovative work we are doing in our courts to improve access, transparency, and efficiency while safeguarding the rule of law.”
One of Chief Justice Cavanagh’s goals in this role is continuing to advance the priorities identified in the 2025 report of the CCJ Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR), including the study of and recommendations around accreditation of law schools, innovative pathways to licensure, and addressing legal deserts.
In particular, Chief Justice Cavanagh highlighted the importance of tackling the challenge of legal deserts, noting that work needs to be done to better understand barriers to legal education and practice for rural and urban residents in order to develop plans to encourage practice in underserved areas and provide technical assistance for courts working to expand access.
Read more about the CLEAR Report in Chief Justice Cavanagh’s article in the Michigan Bar Journal (“What the CLEAR report means for regulation of the legal profession;” June 2026).
Another goal is continuing to advance CCJ’s Safer Courts initiative. This initiative aims to improve court and judicial security by developing best practices, expert resources, and training while also establishing standardized reporting and identifying court needs for a national state court threat and incident tracking and reporting system.
The CCJ works closely with the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), which includes Michigan’s State Court Administrator Tom Boyd as a member of its board of directors. Both CCJ and COSCA operate under the auspices of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC).
Founded in 1949, the Conference of Chief Justices was created to foster communication, collaboration, and shared leadership among the highest-ranking judicial officers in the United States. CCJ has since evolved into a national leader shaping judicial policy, supporting court reform, and promoting the independence and effectiveness of state courts.
Chief Justice John Dethmers is the only other Michigander to have led CCJ (1958-59).
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