← Nonpartisan contestsCourts · November 3, 2026
Court of Appeals · District 1
What this office does
The Court of Appeals checks lower-court decisions for legal mistakes, usually using the existing case record rather than holding a new trial. Its rulings can uphold, reverse or send a case back for further proceedings.
Michigan · Judicial Branch
3 listed candidates · Vote for no more than 36 years · Incumbent positions
Canton Precinct 8 sample ballot · PDF page 1 · Names and voting limits follow this sample.
Uncontested on the supplied printed ballotThe number of listed candidates equals the number of seats. This does not rule out qualified write-ins. These are brief background profiles, not endorsements.
You may leave any race blank; your votes in other races still count. University of Michigan · ballot basics
How to read judicial records
Research reviewed October 12, 2026. We have not verified a 2026 bar poll or evaluation for the candidates below. Dated historical evaluations are identified separately; an unverified rating is not a negative rating.
The Detroit Bar’s Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee assesses qualifications. Its evaluations are not a poll of all lawyers or a party endorsement. A “No Rating/Did Not Participate” entry does not establish that a candidate is unqualified.
Opinion examples illustrate specific reasoning, not a complete record or ranking. We distinguish authorship, joining an opinion, and dissent. Trial-court rulings are not uniformly published; a missing example is a research gap, not a judgment about experience.
Detroit Bar · evaluation process and current informationSee this race’s local club endorsements ↓
NonpartisanMariam Saad Bazzi
Background
Appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2025; previously a Third Circuit judge and Wayne County assistant prosecutor.
Judicial record
- Appointment or election history
- Appointed by Governor Snyder to the Third Circuit in 2017 and by Governor Whitmer to the Court of Appeals in 2025, filling Noah Hood’s vacancy.
Governor’s appointment announcement · April 23, 2025 - Bar evaluation
- A current rating has not yet been verified. See the research note above.
- Opinion example
- No individual written-opinion example has yet been reviewed for this candidate.
NonpartisanAnica Letica
Background
Appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2018; previously worked in criminal appeals for Michigan’s attorney general.
Judicial record
- Appointment or election history
- Appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Snyder in 2018.
Governor’s appointment announcement · June 1, 2018 - Bar evaluation
- A current rating has not yet been verified. See the research note above.
- Opinion example
- No individual written-opinion example has yet been reviewed for this candidate.
NonpartisanChristopher M. Murray
Background
Appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2002; previously a Wayne Circuit judge, deputy counsel to Governor Engler and private-practice attorney.
Judicial record
- Appointment or election history
- Appointment and election dates have not yet been verified in this guide.
- Bar evaluation
- A current rating has not yet been verified. See the research note above.
- Opinion example
- Mothering Justice v. Attorney General · 2023 Court of Appeals decision. Authored the lead opinion allowing the legislature to adopt and amend an initiative in the same session. The Michigan Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2024; its opinion recounts the lower-court reasoning.
Michigan Supreme Court · 2024 reversal and procedural history
Local club endorsements
Published club choices, not GuruG recommendations or professional ratings. “Not listed” does not mean opposed.
Canton Democratic Club: Not listed in the reviewed guide.
Plymouth Canton Republicans Club: Not listed in the reviewed guide.
Club sources reviewed October 6, 2026; follow the linked source pages for updates.