Gov. Snyder Picks Kurtis Wilder for New Supreme Court Justice

Wilder will replace Justice Robert Young who retired from the court in April.

Kurtis Wilder Gov. Snyder 5.10.17-jn

Kurtis Wilder (center) with Gov. Rick Snyder (right) and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley (left)

Gov. Rick Snyder has chosen the newest member of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Judge Kurtis Wilder will replace Justice Robert Young who retired from the court in April to return to his former law firm, Dickenson Wright.

Wilder is a former Chief Judge of the Washtenaw County Trial Court. He currently serves on the state Court of Appeals.

Gov. Snyder said Wilder has already done great work to help the state.

“I think we’ve been privileged to have the best court in the United States with the Supreme Court that we’ve had. But we can always enhance that,” Snyder said. “So I view this as an opportunity to continue that path and have a great person join the court.”

Wilder says he would be a rule of law justice.

“I’m going to continue to be dedicated and devoted to a fair and reasonable interpretation of all the litigation that comes before me,” he said. “Each statute, each constitutional provision.”

This is the first of a couple appointments Snyder has to make in the coming weeks. He will likely appoint a fifth justice soon as Justice Joan Larson heads to the Sixth Circuit Court pending U.S. Senate confirmation.

Author

  • Cheyna Roth is the co-host and creator of WDET's state politics podcast, MichMash. She has been an audio journalist for almost a decade, covering major events like presidential elections, college scandals, the Michigan Legislature and more, appearing on NPR and across Michigan public radio stations. Cheyna is also a senior producer and podcast host for Slate.com, having produced and hosted shows like Political Gabfest, The Waves, and What Next TBD. Also an author, Cheyna has written two true crime books and her written work has appeared in Broadly, Slate, and MLive, among others.