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GOP Justice David Viviano leaving Michigan Supreme Court

Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano headshot
Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano announced Friday that he will not seek reelection this fall (Michigan Supreme Court photo)
  • Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano, one of three Republicans on the court, won’t seek reelection
  • Democrats and Republicans will nominate replacement candidates at fall state party conventions
  • State Rep. Andrew Fink, R-Hillsdale, is already running for the court

LANSING — Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano will not seek reelection this fall. 

Viviano announced his decision in a late Friday statement, calling his tenure on the state’s highest court “the honor of my lifetime.” 

He thanked those who supported and encouraged him throughout the years, and he said he will announce future plans closer to when his term expires Dec. 31. 

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“Although I have respectfully disagreed with many of the court’s decisions in recent years, it has been a privilege to participate in the discussion of legal issues of major significance to our state,” Viviano said.  “I remain committed to the rule of law, and am optimistic about the future.”

Viviano is one of three Republican-nominated justices, alongside Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement and Justice Brian Zahra, on the Democrat-controlled court. His pending departure means Republicans will not have an supreme court incumbent advantage in the November general election.

Viviano, 52, first joined the Michigan Supreme Court in 2013, filling a vacancy as an appointee of then-Gov. Rick Snyder. He won election the following year, and then won reelection to a full eight-year term in 2016.

The Macomb County resident has been a reliably conservative voice on the court, especially since Democratic nominees gained a majority in 2020. 

In 2022, he opposed ballot access for an ultimately-successful abortion rights proposal. That same year, he argued his colleagues failed to consider religious liberty when they guaranteed anti-discrimination protections for LGBT residents.

There will be two Michigan Supreme Court races on the November ballot: Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022 to fill a vacancy, is running to finish out a partial term that ends in 2028. 

Michigan Republicans and Democrats will formally nominate their Supreme Court candidates at state party conventions this fall. 

State Rep. Andrew Fink, R-Adams Township, had planned to challenge Bolden but said Friday he will instead seek the GOP nomination to succeed Viviano for a full eight-year term.

“Justice Viviano has served this state honorably,” Fink said in a statement. “His undeniable legal acumen will be missed on the court.”

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