Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Beth Clement stepping down

• Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement announces plan to step down from her position
• Departure will give Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a chance to appoint a replacement
• Clement was elected after nomination by the Michigan Republican Party but has crossed ideological lines in several rulings

LANSING — Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement will be leaving her post by the end of April, she announced Wednesday evening, giving Gov. Gretchen Whitmer the opportunity to further solidify liberal control of the state’s highest court.

"Leading our state's highest court has been an opportunity to continue a proud record of independence, fairness, and commitment to the rule of law," Clement, who was previously nominated by Republicans, said in a statement. "I am thankful to my colleagues for their support and friendship, as well as for their willingness to seek common ground in serving the people of Michigan."

Clement said she would “continue working to find ways to bring people together, to put data to work and to make a difference in the lives of people so that interactions with our justice system result in safer communities and stronger families.”

In a separate release, the National Center for State Courts said Clement will serve as the next president of the organization, which works as a coordinating forum for court administrative practices. Michigan Supreme Court justices were paid a little more than $181,000 — less than judges on lower courts — while the nonprofit center’s last president was paid more than $350,000 in 2023, according to IRS disclosures.

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Clement’s pending departure means Whitmer will be able to appoint a replacement, which would give Democratic nominees or appointees a 6-1 majority on the Michigan Supreme Court. 

Despite a liberal majority on the court, Clement was elected by her colleagues to lead the seven-judge panel three times since late 2022. 

Though a Republican-nominated justice, Clement has broken with conservative colleagues to side with the majority on a number of key decisions, including approving contested proposals that created an independent redistricting commission and enshrined abortion protections in the state constitution. 

She also sided with conservatives at other times, including on a pivotal COVID-era ruling that found Whitmer could not indefinitely exercise emergency powers without approval from the Republican-controlled state legislature, significantly curtailing the scope of the governor’s pandemic restrictions. 

With her term set to expire in 2026, Clement would have faced Republican delegates incensed by her ideological independence, and her renomination by the party was considered unlikely, given the GOP’s rightward shift.

Clement was appointed to the court in 2017 by then-Gov. Rick Snyder after her predecessor, Joan Larsen, departed to serve as a federal appellate judge. The next year she was nominated by Republican delegates at their state convention to serve another term and was elected amid Democratic gains. 

Supreme Court nominees appear on the ballot without a partisan affiliation but do have their incumbency indicated.

The Michigan Supreme Court’s last chief justice, Bridget Mary McCormack, also stepped down in 2022, after which Clement was first elected chief justice.