Michigan Chief Justice to Lead National State Courts Center (3)

The Michigan Supreme Court’s chief justice will step down no later than April 30 and become the next president of the National Center for State Courts, according to news releases issued Wednesday.

Chief Justice Elizabeth T. Clement didn’t give a reason for her impending departure, of which she said she notified Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), in a statement the Michigan courts issued. However, the state courts-focused nonprofitput out a release that confirmed her appointment, which she’ll take on this spring. She’ll succeed Mary McQueen, who led the organization for two decades, according to a release.

Clement said she’s “honored” to be the group’s next president. “As a witness to NCSC’s important initiatives, I am excited to work with the organization’s talented team to extend the reach of its critical work. I look forward to building on NCSC’s strong services as we strengthen judicial systems across the country and the world, enhancing accessibility, transparency, and efficiency,” she continued.

Her plans going forward involve continuing to work “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,” she said in her statement issued by the Michigan court.

Her stepping down in Michigan gives Whitmer a chance to move the 5-2 Democrat-controlled court even farther to the left. Clement is a Republican—though she’s widely seen as a swing vote and chose last year to endorse a Democratic candidate for justice—appointed to the high bench in 2017 by then-Gov. Rick Snyder. Her colleagues have chosen her to be the chief justice since late 2022.

Her current term was set to finish at the end of next year and her departure will come as the court hears cases on topics such as so-called “forever chemicals” and mandatory life sentences for people who commit murder at ages 19 and 20.

“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,” she said in the statement issued by the courts. “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.”

In a statement, Whitmer praised Clement’s work not only on the court—for which the governor said she was “an independent minded jurist who upheld the rule of law, protected our constitutional values, and stood strong for the principles of justice—but her prior stints in Michigan’s executive and legislative branches. The governor said a replacement will be chosen “after a thorough review.”