Michael Warren, an Oakland County Circuit Court judge since 2002, is running for Michigan Supreme Court in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Two seats are up for election statewide. Voters may choose up to two candidates in the nonpartisan contest. The other candidates are Casandra Morse-Bills, Jody White, Megan Kathleen Cavanagh, Noah P. Hood and Thomas Howe, according to the Michigan Department of State’s candidate listing.

The following responses come from the Farmington Focus' candidate questionnaire. Direct quotations are Warren’s own words and have been excerpted for length. Additional information is attributed to public sources throughout.

Asked why he is running, Warren identified four themes: balance, experience, the rule of law and scholarship.

“We need a balanced perspective on the Court,” he wrote.

“I have tried over 400 jury trials and served on the Oakland County Circuit Court for nearly 24 years.”

Candidate information

Education: Warren reported earning a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1992, graduating cum laude, and a bachelor’s degree in history from Wayne State University in 1989. He also listed his participation on Wayne State’s debate team and service as an instructor in legal writing and advocacy at Michigan.

Family: “Married 33 years to the love of my life, Shannon. Father of Dr. Leah Warren and Alex Warren,” he wrote.

Party nomination and support: Warren described his political backing as: “Nonpartisan position, nominated by the Republican Party and endorsed by the Libertarian Party.”

Experience and public service

Warren was appointed to the Oakland County Circuit Court in December 2002 by Gov. John Engler. He was subsequently elected in 2004, 2006, 2012, 2018 and 2024, according to his official county biography.

In his questionnaire, Warren described experience handling criminal, business, general civil and family cases. He also listed service as chair of the court’s budget committee, work on electronic filing and paperless courtroom projects, and creation of a pilot program for people on probation.

Asked what accomplishments demonstrate his qualifications, he cited his years on the bench, jury trials, sentencing work and written decisions.

His previous roles include membership on the State Board of Education from 1999 to 2002, service as its policy director from 1995 to 1997, and a clerkship for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Comstock Riley from 1992 to 1994, according to his questionnaire.

Warren also reported teaching business law at Wayne State University beginning in 2026 and previously teaching constitutional law at Cooley Law School.

“I have written two books,” he wrote, including “The Revolutionary Words that Forged America,” which he described as a line-by-line examination of the Declaration of Independence.

In 2009, Warren and his daughter Leah started the Patriot Week Foundation, according to his response. He described its mission as deepening public understanding of the country’s founding principles, historical figures and documents.

On the issues

Court leadership: Asked about the biggest challenge facing the court system, Warren wrote: “An unbalanced, inexperienced, and activist Supreme Court.”

He argues that his trial-court experience would bring a different perspective to the state’s highest court.

Access to justice: Warren identified crowded court dockets and insufficient judicial staffing as concerns.

Asked how courts could improve access and reduce delays while protecting individual rights, he wrote: “Increase the number of judges, and end Supreme Court micromanagement that is not grounded in the reality of trial courts.”

Judicial philosophy: Warren emphasized limits on judicial power and impartial interpretation of the law.

“I understand the proper role of the Court. We need Justices who will not legislate from the bench but fairly interpret the law without favoritism,” he wrote.

Endorsements

Warren identified the Republican and Libertarian parties as supporters in his questionnaire. MIRS News reported that he received the Michigan Republican Party’s endorsement at its March convention and the Libertarian Party of Michigan’s endorsement in June.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce has also endorsed him.

Voters can find additional information on his campaign website.