Ballen, Thomas wins election to Michigan Supreme Court

On By Littum

Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Thomas have won election to two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court, expanding the Democratic majority on the state’s highest court.

Bolden, an incumbent judge nominated by Democrats to complete a four-year term, defeated Branch County Circuit Judge Patrick William O’Grady. With an estimated 78% of ballots counted early Wednesday, Bolden received 61% of the vote, while O’Grady received 39% of the vote, unofficial results compiled by the Associated Press show.

And in the other Supreme Court race, voters endorsed Thomas, the Democratic nominee, for a full eight-year term on the bench over Republican state Rep. Andrew Fink of Hillsdale. With an estimated 78% of the ballots cast, Thomas received 61% of the vote, while Fink received 39% of the vote, unofficial results compiled by the Associated Press show.

Bolden was running to complete the remainder of his term after being appointed to the bench to replace retiring Judge Bridget McCormack in 2023. Thomas and Fink were running for an open seat after Republican-backed Judge David Viviano previously this year announced that he would not seek another term.

The Michigan Supreme Court is the state’s highest court charged with deciding and resolving legal disputes from lower courts.

The Democrats now extend their majority on the field to 5-2. Although the races fell under the partisan section, candidates must be nominated by a political party at the nominating conventions to appear on the ballot.

In recent years, the court has issued several notable rulings, including upholding the eligibility of gubernatorial and presidential candidates in 2022 and 2024, and finding that state prosecutors improperly used a one-man jury to indict several former state officials for their roles in the country. Flint water crisis, which resulted in the charges being dropped; and most recently, state lawmakers acted unconstitutionally in 2018 when they set Michigan’s minimum wage scale. In that ruling, the majority opinion ordered the state to set a new scale that will see the minimum wage rise to nearly $15 an hour by 2028.

Bolden and Thomas, the Democratic nominees, had focused their campaigns on improving fairness in Michigan’s justice system. O’Grady and Fink, backed by the GOP, said they disagreed with the latest opinions authored by the court.

Republicans have not held a majority in the court since 2020.

This story was updated to add new information.

Contact Arpan Lobo: [email protected]