LANSING, Mich. — A new justice made her public debut as the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments in five cases Wednesday.
Election victories by Elizabeth Welch and Chief Justice Bridget McCormack give Democratic nominees a majority on the court for the first time since 2010.
Because of coronavirus restrictions, the Supreme Court still is hearing cases by video conference and not in its Lansing courtroom.
Welch, a Grand Rapids-area lawyer, took the seat of Stephen Markman. Markman was a conservative justice who served for 21 years but couldn’t seek re-election because of age.
