Marilyn Kelly
| Marilyn Kelly | |
 | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| Michigan Supreme Court | |
| Title: | Former Justice |
| Service: | |
| Active: | 1996-1/1/2013 |
| Succeeded by: | Bridget Mary McCormack |
| Past position: | Michigan Court of Appeals |
| Past term: | 1988-1996 |
| Past position: | Judge |
| Personal History | |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Bachelors: | Eastern Michigan University, 1960 |
| Law School: | Wayne State University Law School, 1971 |
Contents |
Marilyn Jean Kelly was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. She was elected to the court for an eight-year term on November 5, 1996[1], after having been nominated to run for a seat on the court by the state's Democratic Party. She retired on January 1, 2013, due to the mandatory retirement age in Michigan. [2]
Education
Kelly received her B. A. from Eastern Michigan University in 1960. In 1961, she obtained her masters degree in French Language and Literature at Middlebury College in Vermont, completing her graduate studies at La Sorbonne, the University of Paris. Justice Kelly received her J.D. with honors from Wayne State University Law School in 1971.[3]
Career
From 1962 to 1967 Justice Kelly taught French at Grosse Pointe Public Schools, Albion College and Eastern Michigan University. She was elected statewide in 1964 to the Michigan State Board of Education and later became its President. From 1969 to 1988, she held several clerkships and practiced law as an associate attorney at Dykema, Gossett, Spencer, Goodnow & Trigg in Detroit, as a partner at Dudley, Patterson, Maxwell, Smith & Kelly in Bloomfield Hills and as principal and owner of Marilyn Kelly & Associates in Bloomfield Hills. In 1988 Justice Kelly was elected to the Michigan Court of Appeals for a six-year term. She was re-elected in 1994 and served until she joined the Michigan Supreme Court.[3]
Awards and Associations
Awards
- 2009 Guardian of Justice Award, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
- 2005 Outstanding alumni, Wayne State University
- 2003 Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, State of Israel Bonds Attorney Division
- 2003 Michael Franck Award, State Bar of Michigan[3]
Associations
- Fellow, Michigan State Bar Foundation, 2003
- American Arbitration Association
- Oakland County Bar Association
- Chair, Family Law Committee, Oakland County Bar Association
- Committee Co-Chair, President's Task Force on Improved Dispute Resolution, Oakland County Bar Association
- Panel Attorney, State Attorney Discipline Board
- Family Law Council, State Bar of Michigan
- State Bar Representative Assembly
- President, Women's Bar Association
- President, Women Lawyers' Association of Michigan[4]
Elections
2004 Supreme Court bid
Kelly won re-election with 56% of the vote.[5] Kelly raised $682,710 toward her re-election bid.[6]
1996 Supreme Court bid
Kelly defeated two opponents to win her seat on the court. She received 53% of the total vote.[7] She raised $539,529 during the campaign.[6]
Notable positions
Voter ID
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that a state law requiring voters to show photo identification or swear to their identity is constitutional. The ruling was 5 to 2, Republicans to Democrats, accordingly. According to the Los Angeles Times, "critics say the ID requirement is essentially a poll tax that would hit hardest the poor, elderly, disabled and minorities and keep them away from the polls. Supporters say it’s needed to prevent election fraud. The Michigan law requires voters to show photo ID to get a ballot, but it still allows those who don’t have photo IDs to vote if they sign affidavits swearing to their identities." The Supreme Court determined that the ID requirement was not a poll tax because voters could choose to sign the affidavit instead. In the majority opinion, Justice Robert P. Young, Jr. said the requirement was a “reasonable, nondiscriminatory restriction designed to preserve the purity of elections and to prevent abuses of the electoral franchise.” In dissent, Justice Marilyn Kelly said that “history will judge us harshly for joining those states that have limited the precious constitutional right to vote.”[8]
External links
- Michigan Supreme Court, Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly
- Project Vote Smart, Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly (MI)
- Wikipedia: Marilyn Jean Kelly
- Michigan Live, "Michigan's top judge: People need help with courts", April 14, 2010
- Michigan Messenger, "Michigan Supreme Court names Marilyn Kelly Chief Justice", January 8, 2009
- Michigan Live, "Grand Rapids forum to examine Michigan Supreme Court flaws", June 18, 2008
- First Amendment Center, "Mich. Supreme Court nixes 2 campus-related FOI requests", July 17, 2008
- Michigan Live, "Court limits conservation group's water rights", July 25, 2007
- Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society, "Swearing In Ceremony for Marilyn Kelly", January 8, 1997
References
- ↑ 1996 election results
- ↑ CityPulse.com, "Democrats can't wait until November," March 7, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Michigan Supreme Court, Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly
- ↑ Project Vote Smart
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, 2004 Official Michigan General Election Results, 11/2/2004
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Follow the Money: Marilyn Kelly
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, Official General Election Results, 11/5/1996
- ↑ Los Angeles Times
