← Nonpartisan contestsNonpartisan section · Michigan · November 3, 2026
Justice of Supreme Court
What this office does
Michigan’s highest state court reviews selected appeals and resolves questions about state law. Its decisions can affect rights, families, businesses, and how courts operate. It is separate from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Michigan’s explanation of the court system
Three questions to compare candidates fairly
- Experience: What legal, courtroom, or relevant professional experience is documented?
- Judicial approach: How does the candidate describe interpreting law, precedent, and constitutional limits?
- Record: What do specific opinions or documented actions show, with context and sources?
A campaign statement is not evidence of how someone has ruled. A lack of reviewed evidence does not establish a lack of experience or merit.
Understand the role. Compare experience and judicial approach. Check the evidence behind each candidate’s record.
Vote for no more than two
Two seats · Eight-year terms. All six names below match the supplied sample ballot and Michigan’s official candidate listing, checked September 29, 2026.
Canton Precinct 8 sample ballot · PDF page 3 · Check the current state candidate list
A straight-ticket vote does not select judicial candidates.Make your choices separately in the nonpartisan section. “Nonpartisan” means candidates appear without party labels; it does not mean they have no party support or political views. Party conventions are one route to nomination.
Michigan voting guidance · State candidate-filing guide
Candidate information source: VOTE411
VOTE411 — Michigan Supreme Court candidate questionnaires
Read candidate responses in the League of Women Voters voter guide. Responses are candidate statements; individual profiles below also link to campaign and official sources.
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 ↓
Meet the candidates
In sample-ballot order, not ranked. Research draft · Reviewed September 29, 2026.
Incumbent justiceMegan Kathleen Cavanagh
Experience
Michigan Supreme Court justice. Her campaign describes more than 15 years of appellate practice before her 2018 election.
Stated approach
Her campaign emphasizes court access, child welfare, family representation, and collaboration with tribal courts.
Judicial record
- Appointment or election history
- Elected to the Michigan Supreme Court in 2018, according to her campaign biography.
Campaign biography - Bar evaluation
- A current rating has not yet been verified. See the research note above.
- Opinion example
- Mothering Justice v. Attorney General · July 31, 2024 (amended September 18). Joined Justice Welch’s majority opinion that the legislature could not adopt a voter initiative and amend it in the same legislative session. The case concerned minimum-wage and paid-sick-leave initiatives; Cavanagh joined, rather than authored, this opinion.
Michigan Supreme Court · majority and separate opinions
Incumbent justiceNoah P. Hood
Experience
Appointed to the Supreme Court in 2025. Previously served on the Court of Appeals and Third Circuit Court and as an assistant U.S. attorney.
Stated approach
In his VOTE411 response, he emphasizes impartiality, access to justice, and deciding cases using law, facts, and precedent.
Judicial record
- Appointment or election history
- Appointed by Governor Whitmer to the Third Circuit in 2019, the Court of Appeals in 2022, and the Supreme Court in 2025. His Supreme Court appointment filled Elizabeth Clement’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
- People v. Hurless · September 19, 2024. In an unpublished Court of Appeals dissent, argued for resentencing because the sentence relied on conduct underlying an earlier acquittal by reason of insanity. This was his dissent, not the majority’s ruling. Later case history has not been reviewed here.
Michigan Court of Appeals · Hood’s dissent
CandidateThomas W. Howe
Experience
Listed on the supplied ballot and the state candidate list. Professional background has not been verified for this draft.
Stated approach
No response was available in the VOTE411 questionnaire when reviewed. Judicial approach remains a research gap.
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
- No individual written-opinion example has yet been reviewed for this candidate.
CandidateCasandra Morse-Bills
Experience
Her campaign describes service as a judge in the 23rd Judicial Circuit, prior work as Oscoda County prosecuting attorney, and private practice. These biographical details are campaign-reported.
Stated approach
Her campaign emphasizes applying the written law, separation of powers, constitutional limits on government, and respectful treatment in court.
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
- No individual written-opinion example has yet been reviewed for this candidate.
CandidateMichael Warren
Experience
Oakland County’s official biography documents service on the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court since his December 2002 appointment.
Stated approach
His campaign describes a textualist and originalist approach: interpreting legal text and the Constitution’s original meaning.
Judicial record
- Appointment or election history
- The official court biography records a December 2002 appointment to Oakland County’s Sixth Circuit Court.
Oakland County · official judicial biography - 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.
CandidateJody White
Experience
In VOTE411, White describes a real-estate career, civil-mediation training, and probate-system advocacy. These are candidate-reported details, not independently verified qualifications.
Stated approach
Her VOTE411 response calls for stronger judicial oversight, shorter probate and family-court delays, and clearer information for litigants.
Record and research gaps
No individual decisions have been analyzed for this draft. This is a research gap, not an assessment of the candidate. White describes herself as a non-attorney in VOTE411; Michigan’s published requirements include a Michigan law license and at least five years admitted to practice. We have not resolved this discrepancy with election officials. Listing here does not certify eligibility.
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
- No individual written-opinion example has yet been reviewed for this candidate.
Local club endorsements
Published club choices, not GuruG recommendations or professional ratings. “Not listed” does not mean opposed.
Canton Democratic Club: Megan Kathleen Cavanagh; Noah P. Hood
Plymouth Canton Republicans Club: Casandra Morse-Bills; Michael Warren
Club sources reviewed October 6, 2026; follow the linked source pages for updates.