Four candidates are running in two general elections for Michigan’s Supreme Court on November 5.

Andrew Fink and Kimberly Thomas are running for a full eight-year term. Incumbent David Viviano (R) is not running for re-election. Incumbent Kyra Harris Bolden and Patrick W. O’Grady are running in a special election. Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) appointed Harris Bolden in November 2022. The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of Bridget Mary McCormack’s term, which ends in 2028.

Michigan’s Supreme Court elections are nonpartisan but candidates are nominated through a party convention. Thomas and Harris Bolden are affiliated with the Democratic Party. Fink and O’Grady are affiliated with the Republican Party.

According to the Associated Press, “Democratic-backed justices currently hold a 4-3 majority. Republican victories in both races would flip control of the court, while two Democratic wins would yield a 5-2 supermajority. Republicans have framed the races as a fight to stop government overreach, while Democrats say it is a battle to preserve reproductive rights.”

Fink, Thomas, and O’Grady completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. Click here to read their responses.

Fink has served in the Michigan House of Representatives since 2021. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. Before he was elected to the House, Fink was a commissioner-at-large of the State Bar of Michigan, served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate, and worked in private practice.

In his Candidate Connection survey, Fink said he is running “to restore our judiciary’s commitment to protecting the will of the people, interpreting the law as it is written, and ensuring everyone receives due process, not just insiders.”

Thomas is a lawyer and professor at the University of Michigan Law School. At the university, she is also the director and co-founder of the Juvenile Justice Clinic. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

In her Candidate Connection survey, Thomas said, “I will bring over two decades of experience as a trial and appellate lawyer and a law professor to ensure that the Michigan Supreme Court fulfills its constitutional role in our democracy and that the people of Michigan can have access to, and be respected in, our court system.”

Harris Bolden assumed office on January 1, 2023. Before her appointment, she served in the state House from 2019 to 2023. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Before holding public office, Harris Bolden was a criminal defense attorney and a civil litigation attorney.

In an interview with Democracy Docket’s Crystal Hill, Harris Bolden said, “I have been able to author eight majority opinions, which I’m very proud of. A lot of people may not know that I’m also a liaison to our treatment courts, which is our alternative to incarceration, making sure that they have the resources necessary in order to function and be successful.I also sit on the child welfare task force for the Michigan Supreme Court, and we try to make sure we have our ear to the ground of what’s happening with our children in our foster care system, and making sure that they have adequate representation. So a lot of things happen at the court, and I wish to continue to do the great work that I’ve been doing for the last year and a half.”

O’Grady is a judge of the Michigan 15th Circuit Court. He previously served in the U.S. Army Reserve and worked as an attorney, Michigan state trooper, and Michigan State Police officer. O’Grady earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a law degree from Cooley Law School.

In Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, O’Grady said, “My unwavering commitment to safeguarding families, championing individual rights, and upholding the integrity of our beloved Michigan is evident in my distinguished record. My steadfast adherence to the Rule of Law in the trial court is a testament to my judicial philosophy, one that I pledge to bring to bear as a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.”

Michigan is one of 33 states holding state supreme court elections in 2024. In total, 82 of the 344 seats on state supreme courts are up for election. Nonpartisan justices hold 61 of those seats, Republicans hold 15, and Democrats hold six. Click here to learn about Ballotpedia’s coverage of state supreme court elections in 2024.