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Dear Friends,

I recently announced my candidacy for Michigan Supreme Court and wanted you to be one of the first to know. I’m proud to have already met the requirements to be on the ballot at the Michigan Republican Party convention where the candidates will be selected later this year for the four-year term.



As a young boy, I developed a passion for service, which grew into a real passion for the law, dreaming of becoming a Michigan State Police Trooper. 

Committed to service, I started down that path after graduating from Western Michigan University and joining  the US Army Reserve, attending the Officer Basic Course at Fort Gordon GA and previously the US Army Airborne School at Fort Benning.  Throughout my service in the Army Reserve,  I became a First Lieutenant, Executive Officer and later promoted to Captain, Company Commander. I  was Honorably Discharged in 2002.

Simultaneously, while serving in the Army, I graduated the Michigan State Police Academy in 1995 and proudly started my service as a State Trooper. As a Trooper, I wanted a better understanding of the law, so I started attending Law School and graduated from Thomas M Cooley School of Law.  

After graduating with a law degree I became an instructor in the Legal Training Division of the MSP. During my time in the legal training division I was approached to join the Branch County Prosecutor’s Office and after much prayer, consideration, and discussions with my family, I made that move and spent several years as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. 

After several years as a Prosecutor, I was again approached by people within our community and encouraged to run for Judge of the Circuit Court. Again, prayer and deliberation led me to run against an incumbent Judge to serve my county. With a lot of help and work from friends, family and community members, I was elected to the Circuit Court in 2008 where I served ever since.  It was a real honor to be selected as Chief Judge on several occasions as well providing me with even more experience.

I believe that my background and experience uniquely qualify me in a way that is very different than other legal professionals’ paths — from the street to the courtroom to the bench. To have the street insight of a State Trooper and the courtroom perspective gained as an Assistant Prosecutor paired with the experience from my journey to the bench is unique and it provides for a prospective and insight that others may not have. This would add a dynamic to the court that would foster an understanding of what the people are really experiencing.

While I thoroughly enjoy serving in the Circuit Court, the highest trial court of the state, and I would miss the interaction in the courtroom, I am ready to move forward to become a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court with your help.

I am offering my unique path and skill set to the great citizens of Michigan and asking for the opportunity to be your next Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court where it will be my duty to:

• Protect your family.
• Protect your rights.
• Protect our Michigan.

Over the next several months I will be traveling throughout the state, and I look forward to meeting you and discussing my background and the court in detail. As a Rule of Law Justice, I will prioritize governance rooted in the letter of our laws, not the whims of our leaders. As a Rule of Law Justice, I will protect the rights of all and make Michigan safe for our families.



Thanks for your consideration. I look forward to earning your vote at the Republican State Convention late this summer, and your vote in November.