LANSING, MI – The New Citizens Press recently sat down with Bridget Mary McCormack who is a candidate for Michigan Supreme Court.
According to their website, the Supreme Court is Michigan’s court of last resort, consisting of seven justices. Supreme Court justices are elected for eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot. Two justices are elected every two years (one in the eighth year) in the November election. Supreme Court candidates must be qualified electors, licensed to practice law in Michigan for at least five years, and at the time of election must be under 70 years of age.
Tell us a little bit about your family and education. What were the factors in you choosing to go into the legal field?
I was born in New Jersey and am the oldest of three children. My dad, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, ran a small business, and my mom was a social worker. I attended Trinity College in Hartford, CT, before going to New York University Law School. The power of the law to effect true and meaningful change into the lives of everyday people is what attracted me to this field. Every lawyer can make a difference, I thought at the time, and I have seen that be proved true over and over in my career. After graduating from law school, I worked as a Legal Aid lawyer in New York City. I then went on to teach in the clinical program at Yale Law School.
I came to Michigan in 1998 to join the faculty of the University of Michigan Law School, where I am now the associate dean for clinical affairs. For the past 14 years I have helped educate a generation of Michigan lawyers. I have built nationally recognized clinical programs that help Michigan citizens every day, including a Domestic Violence Litigation Clinic to help families in crisis, a Pediatric Health Advocacy Clinic to help sick children and their families, an Entrepreneurship Clinic to help new small businesses get off the ground, and the Michigan Innocence Clinic to right the considerable wrong that is the incarceration of an innocent person, while also helping to improve the criminal justice system so that communities are safer and real perpetrators of crimes are brought to justice. My areas of academic focus have been in clinical pedagogy, legal ethics and professional responsibility.
Aside for being a law professor, I have represented more than 1000 clients over the course of my career at all levels of the State and Federal courts. In the past three years, I have been honored with the Patriot Award, the Justice for All Award, and the Equal Justice Award by Michigan bar organizations. I am married to Steven Croley, also an attorney and a professor. We have four children who attend public schools in Ann Arbor.
What inspired you to run for a position on the Michigan Supreme Court? What experience do you have?
Having argued cases in Michigan courts for 14 years, I have always known the importance of the Michigan Supreme Court, and respected its central role in our judicial system. A 2008 University of Chicago empirical study of state supreme courts ranked the Michigan Supreme Court near the bottom of the national list in terms of productivity, independence and influence over the national legal landscape. Michigan is too important a State to have a Supreme Court that is considered anything less than the best in the country. I think a new voice like mine on the Court can make a big difference. I respect the Court and the work that it does, and given my diverse legal background – including work as a public interest lawyer, legal academic and a clinical law professor – and my commitment to access to justice for all and an independent judiciary, I can help bring integrity, civility and independence to the Court. I have spent my career working to make sure Michigan’s justice system works effectively for all Michigan citizens. I will take that with me to the Court.
You are asking the state of Michigan to vote for you. What are your most important values?
Integrity:
The Michigan Supreme Court sets an example for all courts in Michigan, and its members must demonstrate unwavering integrity, no matter how great the pressure to side with special interests. The Michigan Supreme Court does more than decide its own cases, however. Through its administrative and rule-making functions, the Supreme Court also oversees the operation of justice for the entire state.
As a Supreme Court Justice, I will aim to make sure the Court operates with integrity and does so to benefit all the people in our state efficiently. As an experienced attorney and educator, I have seen where courts fail and where they can do better. I believe courts must be accessible, service-oriented, and use taxpayer resources as efficiently as possible. I also believe deeply in the value of civility; judges must treat everyone they encounter with dignity and respect.
Fairness:
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said: “The founders realized there has to be some place where being right is more important than being popular or powerful, and where fairness trumps strength. And in our country, that place is supposed to be the courtroom.”
I know that the playing field is not always level for all parties in a court proceeding. But everyone deserves a fair shake. It is easy for judges to forget what is truly at stake for the average person in court, but I will always aim to make sure the system is working well for everyone. Courts make crucial decisions about our livelihood and liberty, and those decisions can never become routine.
Protecting Michigan’s Children, Families, Neighborhoods:
Protecting children, families, and communities has always been my core priority. As the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Michigan Law School, I founded clinical education programs to advocate for families, including the Pediatric Health Advocacy Clinic and the Domestic Violence Clinic. I understand that our legal system is designed to provide stability and protection for Michigan’s citizens. That system works best when judges do the hard work necessary to resolve complex legal issues. I am committed to working tirelessly to ensure that the Michigan Supreme Court gets it right.
Michigan residents want individuals that have judicial experience and have respect for the rule of law and not special interests. What are your opinions about that?
The rule of law is critical to the judiciary’s work, and has to be a first principal shared by all. In fact, the public is best served when our court play the role prescribed for them in our constitutional democracy. The judiciary is supposed to be the place where everyone gets a fair shake when they show up at the door, no matter what interests support them. All my life I have represented clients who could not otherwise afford competent legal representation, so I certainly understand the importance of having judges and courts that give everybody a fair shake. That is precisely the goal toward which I have devoted my career, as a public interest lawyer, legal academic and as a clinical law professor. Michigan’s judiciary has to be fair, have integrity and work equally well for all of us. I have been practicing and supervising law students in the state and federal courts for almost 21 years and I have had an up close view of the places where our justice system can do better. Through its decision-making, rule-making and administrative functions, the Supreme Court can set a tone and example for all of the courts in the state (and even influence the cause of justice in other states), and it should do so to ensure that everyone who comes into contact with the justice system is treated with dignity and respect, and to ensure access to justice for all. I am interested in all of these functions, and working to improve the quality of justice in Michigan.
Despite the competitive nature and the rigorous schedule, you have decided to run for a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court. Why.
Simply put, I chose to do this because the Michigan Supreme Court matters, and I feel that I am in a position to make a difference. I believe my experience educating law students and practicing at all levels of our state court system will be a welcome addition to our state’s highest court. I think the question is always where one can have the greatest impact and I believe I can have an important impact on the Supreme Court.
What advice would you give for anyone who is running for office?
Public service is critical, and I hope that best and brightest people of every profession consider what sorts of elected office they may be qualified for, and be able to make a real difference in for their communities. But my advice would also be that a run for office should only be made for the right reasons. This is an incredibly tough path, and there are immense responsibilities, both for those who choose to run and those who are ultimately elected. Those who run for office must hold themselves to a very high standard and go above and beyond rules and expectations. I believe those who seek this path in order to make a difference can become truly great leaders, and it is important to know what you believe in and what you hope to accomplish before choosing to run for office.
Describe the future that you envision for Michigan if you win in November?
Michigan is important state, and what happens here matters for the country. I want the Michigan Supreme Court to be a leading state supreme court, known for its independence and integrity. I believe that by electing justices with independent voices, diverse backgrounds and experiences, and have a commitment to giving everyone a fair shake, we can take a significant step toward that ideal. Just as importantly, I think Michigan’s overall judicial system is influenced greatly by the Michigan Supreme Court, and the decisions of that Court. If I win, I will work to make sure that all courts know that, in Michigan, a commitment to fairness, equality and justice for all trumps all other interests, and that we can accomplish that efficiently without wasting resources and increasing public confidence in the institution.
What have you discovered about yourself during this campaign? About the residents of Michigan?
I have found that Michigan residents care deeply about the direction in which this state is headed, and what leaders, such as the justices of the Michigan Supreme Court, can do to ensure that this state’s future is prosperous for everyday people. About myself, I have found that my passion for improving the cause of justice in this state continues to be very strong, given that it has powered me through long days. The campaign process can seem overwhelming at times, but the more events I do, the more I realize the importance of having a fair, independent Michigan Supreme Court, and I am more committed than ever to working to make the Court a powerful institution for the cause of justice is this state.
What leader do admire the most and why?
I greatly admire Justice Sandra Day O’Conner. I might not agree with every decision she made on the U.S. Supreme Court, but I believe her commitment to judicial independence and integrity provides an excellent example for us all. And of course, as the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court she inspired many young women to go into the legal profession (including myself) and taught us that even in the most traditional, old-school profession of all, women can make a true difference. For example, in a handful of landmark decisions, Justice O’Conner proved that having more women judges (and legislators) can change the state of the law. Given that more than half of the country’s population is women, those voices must be reflected in the work of courts as well.
If elected what are your three primary goals?
1. I will work to build strong working relations with my colleagues to ensure that decisions on the important legal questions presented to the Court are made on legal principles and an understanding of what the correct legal outcome instead of partisanship.
2. I will work to improve public confidence in the Court by taking seriously my role as a public voice for justice. Using every opportunity, I will ensure that I do all I can to engender a more open, understanding and responsive relationship between the Court and the citizens it serves.
3. Besides making binding decisions on important legal questions of all sorts, the Michigan Supreme Court also administers the way justice I carried out throughout all of the courts in the state. I am interested in working to improve access to justice in courts throughout Michigan, efficient use of taxpayer resources, and to create an environment where there is increased public confidence in the outcomes the courts produce.
Do you have any comments about recent Michigan Supreme Court decisions?
Of course, there are some decisions that I agree with and some that I disagree with. As a legal academic and an actively practicing lawyer in Michigan, I keep a close eye on the work of the Michigan Supreme Court. However, I do not believe it is advisable for a candidate for judicial office to comment on which decisions she thinks are right or wrong. I know the justices on the Michigan Supreme Court take their responsibilities very seriously and try to make the best decision possible. I also believe having fresh and independent voices and people with diverse backgrounds on the Court can make the Court better.
Editor’s Note: The elections will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Tuesday, October 9, 2012 is the last day to register for November general election.
This was printed in the September 23, 2012 – October 6, 2012 Edition
