Gov Snyder Taps U of M Attorney for Supreme Court Justice

An attorney for the University of Michigan has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Joan Larsen, who will officially be a justice Thursday, has never been a judge before.

She fills Mary Beth Kelly’s seat on the high court after she announced her resignation in mid-August to return to private practice.

There are still three years remaining on Kelly’s eight year term. Larsen will have to run for election in 2016 to fill out the last two years of that term.

This marks the third appointment Snyder has made to the Supreme Court since 2011 and the first time he’s appointed a woman.