Update 10:19 a.m.:
Michigan Radio has learned that Judge Zahra's appointment will take effect on Friday, January 14th at noon. In a release sent out this morning, Governor Snyder said Zahra's, "legal reasoning abilities and depth of understanding of Michigan law are virtually unmatched." Snyder also noted:
Judge Zahra’s sixteen years of judicial experience and his razor sharp intelligence will make him an outstanding addition to the court. His integrity and consistent legal philosophy that judges are to interpret laws, not make them, gives me confidence that he will respect our system of checks and balances while upholding the rule of law.”
9:22 a.m.:
Governor Rick Snyder has named Appeals Court Judge Brian Zahra to the Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Public Radio's Rick Pluta reports. Zahra was appointed to the appeals court in 1999 by former Republican Governor John Engler. He was then elected to the court in 2000 and 2006.
Judge Zahra will be taking over the place of state Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan. Corrigan will leave the court on Friday to begin a new job as the head of the state Department of Human Services. Governor Snyder named her the Director of DHS last week.
Like Corrigan, Zahra is a Republican. That means the state Supreme Court will keep its 4-3 GOP majority.
