Whitmer appoints Noah Hood to Michigan Supreme Court, expanding Democrat grip

• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appoints Noah Hood to the Michigan Supreme court 
• Hood is a former assistant US attorney whom Whitmer previously appointed to the Circuit Court and Michigan Court of Appeals
• He replaces former Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement.  Six of seven current justices were appointed or nominated by Democrats

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday named Court of Appeals Judge Noah Hood to the Michigan Supreme Court, growing a liberal majority on the state's highest court, where six of seven active justices have now been appointed or nominated by Democrats. 

Hood, of Detroit, is a former assistant US attorney whom Whitmer had previously appointed to the Third Circuit Court in 2019 and to the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2022. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale, he’ll fill a seat vacated by former Chief Justice Beth Clement. 

In a statement distributed by Whitmer’s office, Hood said he was “deeply grateful” to be appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court and said residents “will always be able to count on me for even-handed justice." 

The nomination comes two months after Clement, who had been one of two Republican-nominated justices on the court, announced she would be resigning in April to lead the National Center for State Courts, an organization that serves as a coordinating forum for court administrative practices. 

Hood will finish Clement’s term, which runs through 2026, and would need to win a statewide election next year to continue in the post. 

Speaking with Bridge Michigan shortly before Whitmer announced her appointment of Hood, Justice Kyra Harris Bolden said she was sad to see Clement go but hoped her replacement would contribute to “a continuation of a very collegial court, one that works together very well with compassion and respect for one another.”

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As an appeals court judge, Hood has been involved in several cases relevant to Whitmer, including a 2024 panel ruling to dismiss a rezoning lawsuit seeking to block Ford Motor Company's electric vehicle battery plant near Marshall, a project backed by the governor. 

In 2022, Hood was part of a three-judge panel that kept gubernatorial hopeful Perry Johnson off of the Republican primary ballot after the Bureau of Elections determined several signatures on his nominating petitions were fraudulent. 

Last year, he was part of a panel that ruled Wayne State University did not owe a student a larger refund because of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Whitmer had issued a stay-at-home order. 

In a statement, Whitmer said Hood’s experience in trial and appellate court “will bring important perspectives to the highest court in our state.”

“I want to thank him for his many years of public service and look forward to many more on the Supreme Court,” the governor continued.

Whitmer also made several appellate court appointments Wednesday, including Christopher Trebilcock, a senior principal at Clark Hill law firm who as recently as last year had served as Whitmer’s personal attorney.

In that role, Trebilcock in 2023 created a Detroit-based firm called Super Deluxe LLC to serve as a family office for Whitmer as she prepared to publish her book, “True Gretch,” which was published last summer.